


The Doting Father of Choi Family

by rinnenotsubasa



Series: A Family of Three [3]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Bisexual Seungcheol, Family, Implied Sexual Content, Meet the Family, Multi, POV Alternating, Single Parents, cheol is an idiot for his son, no explicit description, uncle!hao, 親バカ
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26044483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinnenotsubasa/pseuds/rinnenotsubasa
Summary: Wonwoo is happily dating his boyfriend of 2 years, Choi Junhui... until he meets Jun's father, Seungcheol. The single father seems hell-bent on refusing the fact that his beloved only son has a boyfriend! Can Wonwoo convince Seungcheol to accept their relationship?a.k.a.Seungcheol’s struggles in welcoming a new member to his family.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups & Jeon Wonwoo, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups & Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Jeon Wonwoo/Wen Jun Hui | Jun
Series: A Family of Three [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/788010
Comments: 31
Kudos: 92
Collections: Coup de Cœur - Round 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve had this idea since 2018 and even wrote a bit of a draft, but left it dusting in my google drive for years… Thank you Coup de Coeur for giving me the push I needed to give birth (?) to my baby.
> 
> This is written in several POVs except for Seungcheol. It just felt right for me to tell this story this way and idk if I managed to capture Seungcheol with another person's perspective. Please do tell me your thoughts!

Kwon Soonyoung had noticed Choi Seungcheol’s gloomy aura since the 56-year-old lawyer entered the Yoon & Choi Law Firm office this morning. However the administration staff couldn’t approach the older man and do anything about it because Seungcheol only spent a brief moment of this morning in the office, quickly heading out for a meeting with a client. 

Seungcheol came back well after lunch and went straight to his desk to face his computer with a depressed look. It seemed that Seungcheol’s bad mood had not improved, and now that Soonyoung got the luxury to observe Seungcheol carefully from his desk, he could see that Seungcheol didn’t dye his hair today. There were visible strands of gray that Soonyoung missed this morning. It’s a rare thing to witness, as Seungcheol usually made sure his gray hair is covered with black dye without fail every day, unlike Soonyoung who’s one year younger and left his own gray hair as it is for the world to see.

Grabbing a mug of coffee, Soonyoung walked to Seungcheol’s side of the room. Even as Soonyoung arrived on the left side of Seungcheol's desk, the lawyer showed no sign of noticing Soonyoung’s presence. Seungcheol had his eyes facing the computer screen but it seemed like they were looking through it. His mouth hung open a bit and his fingers laid unmoving on the keyboard. 

While Soonyoung stood and was biding his time to call Seungcheol, Seungkwan approached with brisk steps and arrived on the right side of the desk. It’s hard to see if the 27-year-old lawyer noticed his senior’s odd behavior or not. Seungkwan put a stack of paper on Seungcheol’s desk with his usual brisk movement and a concise, “Sir, the report.” He simply gave a slight bow of his head when Seungcheol replied with a quiet “Thank you” and a hazy gaze. 

Soonyoung watched as Seungkwan deliberately maneuvered himself to go around Seungcheol’s desk and past Soonyoung’s side. Schooling a polite expression but eyes gleaming with playful glint, Seungkwan leaned his upper body towards Soonyoung. Maybe the young lawyer had caught something in Soonyoung’s expression that prompted him to mouth the words ``old age.” Soonyoung let out a silent chuckle. Leave it to Seungkwan to make fun of Seungcheol’s age in front of Soonyoung who’s only one year younger. Soonyoung took no offense. Everyone who knew Seungkwan would say that he meant no harm; the 27-year-old had been their lovely moodmaker since he joined this small law firm one year ago. And Seungcheol, despite his age and position as one of the firm’s owners, was everyone’s favorite person to tease in this firm. Especially Yoon Jeonghan.

Yoon Jeonghan was the other owner of this firm and was also 56-year-old. Jeonghan and Seungcheol had been friends since college and later Jeonghan invited Seungcheol to work for his mother’s firm. Since Jeonghan’s mother retired, Jeonghan decided to succeed the firm and have Seungcheol as his partner. 

Speaking of Jeonghan, the 56-year-old lawyer had his desk right next to Seungcheol’s. When Soonyoung was walking his way here, Jeonghan was moving his fingers at an amazing speed over his keyboard and seemed to be in a focused state. That’s why Soonyoung didn’t expect Jeonghan to say, “It’s nothing serious” from behind him. 

Jeonghan had his eyes on his computer screen when Soonyoung turned around, but eventually lifted his gaze to the administration staff. There’s glee in his eyes and a smirk on his lips that Jeonghan didn’t even bother to hide. “You know him,” the lawyer simply said. 

The words gave Soonyoung a hint. There’s only one thing—or rather, one person—who could affect Seungcheol this much: Choi Junhui, Seungcheol’s one and only son. But since Jeonghan didn’t look the least bit concerned (even somewhat amused), Soonyoung figured that nothing bad was happening to Jun. Chances are Seungcheol was just overreacting, being his usual overly-doting-father self. Seungcheol’s fatherly love sometimes went overboard to the point it’s ridiculous, but somehow Soonyoung also loved that side of him. That’s why Soonyoung couldn’t bring himself to resent the father-son relationship even though it’s the main reason Soonyoung hadn’t been able to make a move on his longtime crush.

Oh God, he was totally whipped. Blushing at his own thoughts, Soonyoung returned his focus back to the mug of coffee in his hands and stepped closer to Seungcheol’s desk. “I know you’re quitting for Jun, but you might need a sip,” said Soonyoung as he put his mug on Seungcheol’s desk, slowly not to spill the hot liquid but with enough force for the ceramic to make an audible thud against the surface. He turned the mug slightly so that the handle was facing Seungcheol. 

When Seungcheol looked up from his computer screen, his eyes were still hazy. But later the orbs gained back some light and started twinkling as they recognized Soonyoung. The gaze stirred Soonyoung’s chest with excitement and nervousness; he felt like a 16 year old instead of 55. 

“Thank you,” Seungcheol said with sincerity in his gaze. But when he glanced back at the coffee mug, there’s a hint of hesitation in his eyes. Of course. Seungcheol loved his son more than anything in this world, so it must be hard to break his promise with Jun to cut off caffeine. Soonyoung felt sorry now. He might have given unnecessary pressure for the man he adored.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t--” Soonyoung stumbled over his apology as he extended his right arm to reach for the mug, intending to take it back. But before his hand could even get near the mug, Seungcheol took it and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“One mug is fine,” Seungcheol said with a reassuring smile. He didn’t seem to realize what his gaze and touch were doing to Soonyoung, while Soonyoung struggled not to yank his hand away and turn around to hide his blush.

As Soonyoung nodded and slowly pulled his hand out of Seungcheol’s hold, both feeling relieved and lonely with the loss of touch, he feigned composure and said, “Getting some fresh air might be good… Or do you want to talk about it?”

Seungcheol responded with a sheepish chuckle. “It’s nothing, it’s just—Don’t worry.”

Sharing Seungcheol’s bashful smile, though definitely for different reasons, Soonyoung continued his words. “If you need someone to hear you out, you know. It’s been a while since we go to Chu’s anyway...” he said, mentioning the nearby bar that was usually the first choice for after-office hangout by Yoon & Choi Law Firm employees.

The edges of Seungcheol’s lips fell down in an instant and for a moment Soonyoung’s heart sank. 

“I can’t... I got something tonight...” Creases grew on Seungcheol’s forehead as he spoke. It looked like whatever plans he had for that night, he wasn’t looking forward to it.

Before Soonyoung could pry the answer out of Seungcheol, Jeonghan stood up from his desk to come to Seungcheol's desk and put an arm over Soonyoung’s shoulders. When Soonyoung turned his head in surprise, he saw Jeonghan looking at Seungcheol with amusement in his eyes. “Jun got a boyfriend and he’s inviting the guy for a family dinner,” Jeonghan said to Soonyoung, but the teasing note in his voice was clearly directed to his partner.

Soonyoung knew it before he turned his head to face Seungcheol again. He had expected dismay on Seungcheol’s face and was proven to be right. Having heard the retellings of Seungcheol’s overwhelming display of fatherly love, it was easy to understand why the single father reacted to his son dating as if it was the end of the world.

“Can you believe it?” Seungcheol spoke, his voice overflowing with disbelief. “Jun has a boyfriend.”

“Uh... Seungcheol……” Soonyoung hesitated for a second but continued anyway. “He’s 26.”

It was unclear whether Seungcheol heard Soonyoung’s words or not. The 56-year-old father had his eyes directed towards him and Jeonghan but it didn’t seem like they were really in his sight. With a hazy gaze, Seungcheol lifted his arms to make a gesture of carrying a baby in his arms. “He was just _this small_.” The sadness in his voice brought out a pout on the single father’s face.

“Cheol—“

“Oh, so that’s why Jun asked me.” Seungkwan’s voice interrupted Soonyoung’s attempt to cheer Seungcheol up and made Seungcheol look up from his empty arms. 

Soonyoung didn’t know when, but at some point Seungkwan must have returned and overheard their conversation. The 27-year-old looked pleased as he gained the attention from everyone around the desk and continued speaking.

“He asked me about reasonable wedding venues. He knows I have a cousin who’s a wedding planner. The one who lives across the river. You know, the—“

“ _Wedding?_ ” The word came out as a hiss from Seungcheol’s mouth, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. Soonyoung started to feel sympathy for the shocked father.

“I’ll attend whether you give me the invite or not,” said Jeonghan as-a-matter-of-factly, ignoring the distress on Seungcheol’s face.

“But it’s too fast!” 

“You were 28 when you married. Not that different.”

“But they just started dating!”

“Are you sure about that...” Jeonghan suggested casually, as if he didn’t know how it would affect Seungcheol. Soonyoung was sure that later Jeonghan did it anyway because he knew Seungcheol wouldn’t really get mad at him. Sometimes he thought it was unfair of Jeonghan to use his best friend position like that, but most of the time Soonyoung was aware that he’s just being jealous with no right to be so.

Seungcheol opened his mouth to mumble nothing then clenched his jaws tight. When he finally spoke again, the lines of his face were still tense.

“Jun said they’ve been dating for a while and apologized for not telling me quicker, but—“

While Seungcheol was sputtering his denial at Jeonghan, Seungkwan leaned towards Soonyoung and whispered into his left ear, “I bet ‘a while’ means ‘three years’...”

Seungkwan seemed to be slightly joking but Soonyoung didn’t think Seungkwan’s guess was that far-fetched. Although it was hard to imagine sweet Jun lying to his father, Soonyoung would understand. Jun was already his mid 20s. He must’ve wanted to date sooner or later right? And Soonyoung surely thought it’s a wise decision to hide the boyfriend’s presence from Seungcheol until the relationship was established enough. If he were Seungcheol’s son, he wouldn’t want to risk the single father getting overprotective and scaring away the new boyfriend.


	2. Chapter 2

Jeon Wonwoo’s palms were not sweaty, and his heart was beating at a leisurely normal pace. If his friends knew that he’s being like this while heading to a dinner with his boyfriend’s family, they would surely roll their eyes and comment on his laid-back attitude. Wonwoo merely chuckled at the thought. He’s used to receiving such criticism. For most of his life he’s heard people saying that he’s “lacking a sense of crisis.” 

Wonwoo admitted that in some circumstances he should be less placid. However he didn’t think it was necessary in this situation. He couldn’t even bring himself to be as nervous as his boyfriend, Choi Junhui, when inviting Wonwoo for dinner with his father. Jun had warned him that Mr. Choi Seungcheol might be "less amiable" and still sounded anxious in the phone call before Wonwoo headed to Choi family's apartment. Still, Jun’s nervousness didn’t affect him. Wonwoo’s steps were light as he carried a bottle of wine inside a tote bag and walked from the apartment lobby into the elevator. 

It's not that Wonwoo couldn't understand Jun's nervousness. He had listened to many stories about Jun's family, and although Jun never outrightly said a word of complaint, one could infer that Seungcheol was a rather overprotective parent. So Wonwoo could see why Jun felt anxious about his papa meeting his boyfriend, even though he’s unable to relate. He had met Seungcheol once, when the 56-year-old lawyer picked up Jun after a day out with Wonwoo and their friends. The single father greeted his son's friends with a genuine smile and Wonwoo had a hard time imagining that same person being hostile just because Wonwoo was dating his son. Or maybe Wonwoo was being naive as he was often reminded for? 

Despite everything, Wonwoo's relaxed state didn't change as he stepped off the elevator at the 5th floor and walked to the corridor on his right. He stopped at one door before the end of the hall and pushed the bell once. While waiting, he observed the writing of Choi's family name next to the number 502. Unlike the other family names he saw on other doors on this floor, the Choi's seemed to be handwritten instead of printed. The latin alphabets of "Choi Seungcheol, Shuli, Junhui" were familiar. They look like they could be written by Jun; Jun didn't write with latin in many occasions, but those "g" and "h" were definitely his. Yet Wonwoo thought there's room for doubt. There's something different between this handwriting and Jun's, but at first Wonwoo couldn't pinpoint it. He finally noticed the way the lines ended in hardly-noticeable but certainly thicker ink, as if each alphabet was written with extra care. And that's when the door of apartment 502 swung open. 

The moment Wonwoo's eyes caught the sight of Jun behind the door, his heart betrayed its previously calm beat. Now it was pounding erratically inside his ribcage, a slightly uncomfortable feeling, but not unfamiliar and not at all unwelcomed. Wonwoo was used to having his calm rattled by Choi Junhui. It's not always like that, as Wonwoo didn't fall for Jun at their first meeting at Pledis Publishing new employee orientation four years ago. But ever since Wonwoo realized his transformed feelings, he's no longer the always-cool Jeon Wonwoo and it was fine. More than fine actually. He enjoyed the way Jun made his heart dance, so full of joy inside his chest and filling him with the urge to take Jun in his arms and kiss those lips. Thankfully his brain still functioned well enough to stop him from doing that; it might not be a good idea with Seungcheol somewhere inside the apartment behind Jun. 

''Hi," greeted Jun with a smile. There seemed to be many emotions behind the curves of his lips. Wonwoo recognized shyness (probably for having Wonwoo in his house for the first time), nervousness, and last but not least, excitement. 

Wonwoo replied Jun's smile with his own. "Hi." His smile turned wider as he saw Jun pouring a mix of emotions into a chuckle and blushed. Accompanying Jun's bashful giggle with his amused chuckle, Wonwoo took Jun's right hand and rubbed his own left thumb on the back of Jun's palm. Jun appreciated his gesture with a more relaxed smile and a gentle squeeze to their intertwined hands, but soon gave Wonwoo a guilty look as he unlaced their hands. Wonwoo attempted to assure his boyfriend with a smile and a jolly "I brought wine." He understood that Jun might not be comfortable to show PDA in front of his father, even if it's just holding hands. So they went through the entrance with just enough space between them and let Jun lead the way. 

Passing the entrance, Wonwoo saw a TV room to his left. Jun took him through a short tour of the room, looking less and less tense as he showed off the South Korean National Football Team merchandise he and his papa displayed around the TV. Wonwoo had no special interest in any sports, preferring to spend his time reading books and literature instead of watching sports matches, but he’s always interested in Jun. So he nodded enthusiastically at his boyfriend’s explanation and took in the details of the display with as much of attentiveness he would give to the words printed on a book he’s reading. The highlight of Choi family's “football shrine” was a framed picture of Jun and Seungcheol in matching red shirts, standing in what looked like a stadium. It’s the first time Wonwoo saw that picture, but he had a recollection of it.

“Is it Busan?” Wonwoo gestured to the photo with his glance. Previously Jun had told him about his trip with Seungcheol to Busan when he was 13. They went to watch the Asian Games, but what’s memorable was not only watching the football match. It was also the first trip the father and son had after Jun’s mother passed away from illness two years before.

Jun’s first response was to blink his eyes a few times in surprise. He always gave that expression every time Wonwoo showed that he remembered something Jun had told him before, as if he couldn’t believe they’re important enough for Wonwoo to input into his memory. Then the surprise was followed with a happy nod. Jun looked so adorable that Wonwoo had to stop himself from showering his boyfriend’s face with kisses.

There’s nothing that interests Wonwoo more than knowing more about Jun, even after knowing each other for 4 years and dating for 2. So he was excited by the shelf by the wall between the TV room and the dining-room-slash-kitchen. He just had to halt his steps and view each framed photo lining up on the shelf. Inside the frames he recognized Jun in various ages, from the Jun who didn’t look much different from the current 26-year-old, to the Jun in junior high school uniform and also Jun in colorful toddler clothes. 

Jun was with Seungcheol in almost half of the pictures. At first glance, the father and son didn’t look similar, but on a closer look Wonwoo could see that they had the same smile. The way their eyes slightly closed, their nose crinkled, and the vibrant joy radiating from the wide curve of their lips were exact copies of each other. Once Wonwoo had seen it, it’s impossible to ignore the similarity. 

The other half of the pictures displayed a gentle-looking woman. Every feature of her, from her high nose bridge to her long fingers, was that of the current 26-year-old Jun. It must be Jun’s mother.

Wonwoo could feel Jun standing wordlessly beside him and took advantage of the silence to view the photos at his own pace. He tended to get immersed and ignore his surroundings when he’s engrossed in something, and his boyfriend had been accustomed to it. However, when he got to the last photo at the end of one row, that of baby Jun sitting on his mother’s lap, he noticed another presence in the room which was somehow hard to ignore.

Looking up from the photo and turning his head to the left, Wonwoo saw that Jun was no longer standing alone. There was Seungcheol on Jun’s left, his expression looking as stiff as his son next to him. Wonwoo thought the older man must be nervous to meet his son’s boyfriend. He swiftly moved the tote bag in his right hand to his left so he could offer Seungcheol a hand shake.

“Hello, Seungcheol-shi. Thank you for inviting me to dinner,” he said. 

Seungcheol’s smile was awkward, unlike the relaxed smile he gave that one time when they met before, but he took Wonwoo’s hand. His grip was a tilting to the crushing intensity and Wonwoo took it as another sign of nervousness. Wonwoo wondered if Jun’s easily agitated personality was inherited from his father.

“Thank you for coming,” said Seungcheol, still with that awkward smile. “Uh, so... You’ve met Shuli.” He glanced at the photo of his wife on the shelf.

After Wonwoo nodded, Seungcheol turned towards his wife’s photograph. The tension was visibly gone from around the edges of his lips when he smiled at his wife. “Shuli, we’re having dinner,” said Seungcheol before leading them to the dining table. 

Before following the father and son, Wonwoo took some time to put his palms together in front of his face and bow to Jun’s mother. There’s no way it happened for real, but Wonwoo thought he saw Shuli’s smile widening. He didn’t think much of it, taking it as a good sign for how the rest of the night will go. 

The dining table was a moderate size, enough for four people. Seungcheol sat facing away from the TV room, while Jun sat across him. With relaxed movements Wonwoo took the seat next to Jun. He didn’t put down the tote bag he had on his left hand, raising the bag up instead. “I heard from Jun that you enjoy wine,” said Wonwoo to Seungcheol. 

Across the table, the older man spent a split second to stare at Wonwoo before clearing his throat and nodding. “Thank you.” Seungcheol sounded unenthusiastic for a person who just received a gift of his favorites. 

This might be the moment when Wonwoo should panic, but he still couldn’t bring himself to fret over the lack of enthusiasm from his boyfriend’s father. He thought it’s just a few minutes since they met today. Maybe the nervousness was still there. 

Meanwhile sitting on Wonwoo’s left, Jun was visibly upset. In what seemed like an attempt to lighten up the mood, he said “That’s very thoughtful of Wonwoo, isn’t it Papa?” with feigned cheeriness, almost begging for his father to agree. Seungcheol gave his best to smile at his son and Jun looked slightly disappointed at the insincerity, but didn’t give up. Jun turned to Wonwoo with a forced smile, very similar to what Seungcheol showed. Jun said, “I’ll get the glasses” and left the table. 

Wonwoo wasn’t actually left alone with Seungcheol; the kitchen was right behind him and he could hear the gentle sound of cabinet shelf opening. But the short time before Jun came back felt strained. Across the table, Seungcheol shut his lips tight, giving a vibe that drove people away. Wonwoo was still not panicking (it usually took a lot for him to reach a panic state), but he felt Seungcheol’s obvious discomfort was rubbing off on him.

When their glasses were raised for a toast and dinner time finally started, the awkward air was still surrounding the table. Wonwoo himself was enjoying the meal and the company of Jun beside him, but it seemed that the juicy beef and Wonwoo’s cheap wine failed to make Seungcheol at ease. The single father wasn’t contributing much to the conversation, merely giving short answers and awkward grunts. It was a 180-degree change from the Seungcheol whom Wonwoo met several months ago. Maybe it’s because previously Seungcheol met him with Jun’s other friends and didn’t know that he was dating Jun. 

Wonwoo and Jun didn’t mean to lie. Jun couldn’t lie to his father anyway, he didn’t have the heart to. So Jun always told his father truthfully whenever he’s going somewhere with Wonwoo. “Wonwoo,” Jun would say whenever Seungcheol asked who he’s going with. Jun was just postponing on telling that Wonwoo was his boyfriend. And Seungcheol never asked! The notion of his son dating must have been nonexistent in Seungcheol’s mind before.

Jun told Wonwoo that his father “seemed surprised” when Jun finally explained his relationship with Wonwoo a week ago. Jun did notice that his father’s smile when saying “That’s good to hear” was stiff, but since Seungcheol said nothing against his relationship, Jun assumed his father was just temporarily stunned. The way Jun’s face lit up when he told Wonwoo was so mesmerizing. Based on Jun’s stories, Seungcheol had never directly told Jun “no” whenever he didn’t agree on Jun’s activities, but would pester with a wail of worries until Jun couldn’t take it and did as Seungcheol wanted. This time Seungcheol said nothing. 

However, it was clear from the uncongenial manner Seungcheol showed during this dinner that Seungcheol didn’t see his son dating Wonwoo favorably. 

“Papa, Wonwoo is from Gyeongsangnam,” said Jun in one of his attempts to make Seungcheol and Wonwoo engage in a conversation. “Maybe you have similar experiences you can share.”

“Daegu is in Gyeongsangbuk, Junnie,” Seungcheol said gently, reminding his son that his birth city was in a different province from Wonwoo’s birth place. He didn’t seem comfortable to dig further into the common points between him and Wonwoo, but in front of Jun’s hopeful smile, he could only indulge. 

“Well, we do use the same dialect,” Seungcheol nodded vaguely before turning to Wonwoo. “What city?”

“Changwon,” Wonwoo replied. “I have relatives in Daegu so sometimes I visit,” Wonwoo tried to continue the topic.

But it was obvious that Seungcheol had no intention to engage any further. Seemingly to have given up on assuming the image of a welcoming host, Seungcheol merely answered, “I see.”

A glance to the left showed Jun digging into his plate with sad eyes. Wonwoo’s boyfriend had been so excited about tonight’s dinner, Wonwoo couldn’t help but smile at the way Jun enthusiastically talked about it, probably imagining how his father and boyfriend would get along. It must be hard for Jun to see that the reality fell short of expectation. 

Determined to wipe the sour expression off the face of his beloved, Wonwoo gave another try in breaking through Seungcheol’s invisible barrier.

“I saw your photo with Jun at the Busan game,” said Wonwoo. The man across the table moved his gaze to look back at him but said nothing, so Wonwoo continued. “I heard from Jun that the semi-final was a thrilling match.”

Seemingly encouraged by Wonwoo’s effort, Jun perked up on his seat. “Do you remember the last minute goal, Papa?”

Seungcheol’s gaze softened when it was directed to his son. “You kept jumping on your seat, I thought you were going to fall over. Almost gave me a heart attack.” There’s no rebuke in his voice, only fondness. 

“I hope we’ll have another world game here soon,” Jun turned to Wonwoo with a hopeful look in his eyes. “Maybe we can watch together?”

Wonwoo’s lips curved up into a smile as if it was the natural thing to do. “Of course.” He was still smiling when he turned to look at Seungcheol again, but the latter’s soft gaze was already replaced with a piercing one. Wonwoo was not the type who would falter easily, but it did manage to make him squirm a bit in his seat.

“Do you like football, Wonwoo?” It was a surprise to hear the question from Seungcheol, as it was the first time he showed any interest in Wonwoo. 

“I don’t watch many sports but I like watching Jun’s futsal game.” Pledis Publishing where Wonwoo and Jun worked held a cross-department futsal session once a week. Ever since he was a kid, Wonwoo had never been gifted with physical ability to play any sports, and so he only joined the game once in a while when a team needed a substitute player. But he always made time to watch Jun playing. Watching Jun moving around the court with an eye-blinding smile was the highlight of Wonwoo’s workweek.

That’s the extent of Wonwoo’s interest in sports, and while Jun was satisfied with it, Seungcheol didn’t seem to be impressed. His response was another curt “I see” and a cold gaze. Wonwoo thought he might have to hear more of that discouraging “I see” for a while. 

Even so Wonwoo didn’t lose hope. Although Seungcheol didn’t stop his cold stare at Wonwoo, he continued to ask Wonwoo’s questions, and Wonwoo took it as progress. One might argue that it was “interrogation”. Wonwoo didn’t really mind, although he’s not sure he’s giving the answers that Seungcheol wanted.

“You work with Jun in SVT?” asked Seungcheol, referring to the magazine Jun was working for as a fashion editor. It seemed that Seungcheol understood Wonwoo worked in Pledis Publishing like Jun, but didn’t know any more than that.

“I’m in the copy editing,” Wonwoo explained a little. He watched Seungcheol furrowing his forehead.

“It’s separate from the magazines?”

“Yes, it’s a different department.”

“How’s the career path?”

Wonwoo thought he understood where this conversation was going (he’s so used to it that he’d known the signs by now) but he let Seungcheol elaborate first. “Career path?”

“Do you plan on being a copy editor forever?”

There’s a slight sting in Wonwoo’s chest from Seungcheol’s judgmental tone, but aside from his placid nature, he was already used to remarks that disapprove of his way of life. There had been a time when he agonized over this. Now he had found the answer so he didn’t feel the need to act defensive.

However, Jun seemed to think that his father had crossed a line. “Papa!” Jun cautioned with a weak voice but clearly a disapproving gaze. His cheeks were slightly red.

Seungcheol seemed to be flustered by his son’s warning but made an effort to keep his dignity. “What’s wrong with asking?” he retorted with pride in his voice. 

Wonwoo understood Seungcheol’s reasoning behind his remarks. He’s used to receiving similar expectations about his career, being criticized about his lifestyle. It’s understandable for an attorney and a partner of a law office would judge Wonwoo’s approach to life as being too laid back. But he knew that no matter what he said, some people would still argue against his own decision on his own life, so he simply said ”I love my job” without the slightest bit of irritation.

Seungcheol’s voice, however, was filled with emotion when stating his assumption. “So you’re not thinking about your future.”

Jun said nothing next to Wonwoo, but his face was contorted in pain as if he was the one being insulted. His usual gentle expression was distorted as he bit his own lips, holding back whatever words he might regret saying.

Wonwoo answered, “I love reading and it’s my goal to live my life doing what I love.” But Seungcheol wasn’t paying attention to his explanation. The single father had his focus on Jun’s troubled face and his eyes wavered in emotion. It seemed that Seungcheol had noticed how his words hurt his son, and the fact brought immense pain to himself. Seeing that made Wonwoo realize that Seungcheol wasn’t really trying to belittle or spite him. Seungcheol was just a father who worried about his only son. The realization made Wonwoo think, even though Jun was happy with Wonwoo the way he was, maybe Seungcheol’s worry was reasonable enough for Wonwoo to consider changing his stance about work and career.

It’s not something to ruminate during the short time of a dinner, so Wonwoo put the thought at the back of his head and tried to return his awareness to the present. 

“I was working on a biography the other day,” Wonwoo spoke about the book he’s editing and succeeded in gaining the attention of the single father. Seungcheol had his eyes widened as if surprised with Wonwoo’s sudden words and having trouble seeing where it was going. Meanwhile Jun still had that moping look on his face, although his eyes were colored with a hint of curiosity.

Satisfied with the reactions he received, Wonwoo continued, “It was Lee Heungmin.” The mention of South Korea’s legendary football player managed to bring a glint of excitement to Seungcheol’s eyes. Wonwoo hasn’t had the chance to get to know more about Seungcheol’s interest in football, but he anticipated that the popular Lee Heungmin would be one of Seungcheol’s favorites. It seemed that his guess was right.

“He’s releasing a book?” Seungcheol asked, voice slightly cracking from the enthusiasm he’s trying to hide.

Wonwoo nodded. “Are you a fan?”

Seungcheol gave him a quick nod before turning to Jun, peeking into his son’s face with a mix of apprehension and anticipation. “We saw his last match before retirement. Remember?”

Being a good son, Jun responded to his father’s gaze and replied, but his words were short and he was obviously still upset with his father. Seeing that Seungcheol pressed his lips tight, the light on his eyes dimmed slightly. 

Seungcheol didn’t seem to give up though. There’s a new light on his eyes when he turned his gaze back to Wonwoo and asked, “Will he say something about that game in his book?” 

Pleased that Seungcheol was interested enough to continue the conversation, Wonwoo couldn’t stop the edges of his lips from lifting up. “I can’t give any spoilers but I will send you a copy as soon as it’s published.”

Seungcheol perked up at Wonwoo’s answer and quickly turned to his son once again. “Isn’t it great, Junnie? We can read it together,” he said, ending his words with a hopeful tone. 

This time Seungcheol’s effort to put his son back in a good mood seemed to work. Jun replied to Seungcheol with a small smile on his face and the two started talking about their experience watching Lee Heungmin’s retirement match. Jun could never stay mad with his father, Wonwoo knew that even only after seeing their interaction briefly. 

Finally everyone on the table could continue with their meal in a relaxed atmosphere. When they were done with dinner, they moved to the living room to continue chatting. But soon enough Seungcheol began to rub his nose bridge in a sign of fatigue. 

Jun looked at his father with worry and then turned to Wonwoo. He looked sorry as he said, “I think Papa is tired. He’s been working late the past two days.”

Wonwoo nodded with sympathy at Jun before saying to Seungcheol, “Is it a difficult case?” Jun had told him that Seungcheol’s job as an attorney mostly concerned civil litigation cases and he always did his best to not work overtime, especially during the first few years Jun’s mother passed away. However, it seemed there were rare days when Seungcheol had to work past office hours.

“Nah,” Seungcheol shook his head slightly. “It’s just a bit troublesome, that’s all.” He really looked tired now and Wonwoo felt bad for him. Wonwoo decided to excuse himself for the night. Jun gave him a silent sorry with his eyes, but didn’t argue. 

Jun went with Wonwoo to the entrance, Seungcheol followed with a considerable distance behind his son. The single father frowned when Jun said “I’m going down to send Wonwoo off,” so Wonwoo assured Jun that he would be fine getting out of the apartment building by himself. Once again there’s guilt in Jun’s eyes. Wonwoo wanted to kiss it away, but reminded himself that doing it in front of Seungcheol would only worsen the situation. So Wonwoo gave his boyfriend a reassuring smile and a promise to call when he arrived home. 

On the train ride back home, Wonwoo recalled several moments of the dinner earlier and felt a surge of relief throughout him. Maybe he had been nervous without realizing. Now that he had gone through the experience, he thought that despite not being smooth-smailing, it was indeed a promising night. With Jun and Seungcheol faces going through his mind, Wonwoo hopped off the train feeling optimistic.

****

It’s the fourth ring in the past hour. The ringtone started with an oriental vibe, the sound of flute evoking an image of red lanterns and dragons in Wonwoo’s head; it’s the ringtone Jun set for his father. 

From across the restaurant table, Jun looked at Wonwoo with sorry and guilt filling his eyes before slipping away from his seat and picking up the call. Wonwoo felt sorry for Jun rather than annoyed. Of course Wonwoo wanted to spend alone time with Jun but more than that, his concern was to wipe the sadness in his boyfriend’s eyes.

It seemed that Wonwoo had misjudged the dinner he had in the Choi family residence. He went home that night thinking that it went pretty well, and it was days later that he finally understood his naivete. 

Since that dinner, Seungcheol had been “overly cautious” towards his son’s dates. Whenever Jun went out with Wonwoo, Seungcheol would always call. Asking Jun where they kept the spare batteries, telling Jun to drop by to the supermarket on the way home... things that weren't urgent and could be conveyed through texts. It’s like Seungcheol was trying to sabotage their dates, although Wonwoo thought Seungcheol’s action was more about not letting his only son be completely alone with some guy and get attacked or something. Wonwoo should feel offended that he’s seen as a barbarian with no morals but he just couldn’t get angry as he had known (from people’s stories and direct observation) that Seungcheol acted like that with everyone and not just him. It’s not like Seungcheol had a personal vendetta against Wonwoo; the older man was simply being a father, albeit an overprotective one.

It took a few minutes for Jun to take the call and come back to their table, a semi-private booth of a yakiniku restaurant where they took off their shoes and sat cross-legged on a mat. But this time Jun didn’t take the seat across him. Instead, his boyfriend slid into the empty spot on Wonwoo’s right and looked at him with regretful eyes.

“I’m sorry...”

Wonwoo automatically smiled. He wanted to ease Jun’s worries and guilt even just a bit, then he took Jun’s face with one hand and gently guided it to his shoulder. Jun obliged and leaned his body to Wonwoo’s. 

“I should’ve told him I’m going with someone else...”

To Jun’s guilt-ridden voice, Wonwoo replied with soft whispers of “It’s okay, it’s okay.” Keeping their date a secret might be the way out but Wonwoo knew that Jun could never lie to his father. Being quiet about their relationship for two years was a different thing; Jun didn’t actually lie. He had managed to be free of guilt all those years because Seungcheol had never asked him if he had a boyfriend or not (probably it never occurred to Seungcheol that his adult son might date). But now that Jun had revealed to his father that he’s dating Wonwoo, he couldn’t say “no” when Seungcheol asked “Are you going on a date with Wonwoo?”

So now Jun’s suffering from his guilt towards both Wonwoo and his Papa. Poor Junnie.

“I’m sorry that you have to feel like this from us dating, Junnie,” said Wonwoo as he stroked the side of Jun’s face with his left hand. He intended to soothe Jun but instead he felt Jun tensing in his hold.

“Are you...” Jun’s trembling voice made Wonwoo twist his neck so he could see Jun properly. Jun’s eyes were on level with his, the beautiful orbs were glazed with tears threatening to fall out of them. Wonwoo took Jun’s shoulders to lift the latter off from him, so they could see each other properly. 

“Are you breaking up with me?” Jun said softly. His voice sounded like he was in pain, yanking Wonwoo’s heart straight down to his stomach.

“No, Junnie. Of course not...” said Wonwoo as he took Jun’s body back inside his hold. Jun snuggled his face on the crook of Wonwoo’s neck and pressed their bodies together with so much power as if he’s afraid Wonwoo would let him go. Wonwoo was determined to show that it’s the last thing he’d ever do.

“I won’t leave you.” Wonwoo said without doubt, his hands moving up and down on Jun’s back to deliver gentle strokes. “I’ll make him like me so he’ll be okay with us.”

For a moment Jun stayed silent, but when he spoke again, there’s a hint of a smile in his voice. “That’s worrying... You’re not exactly the most charming,” he said to Wonwoo’s neck. It brought a small laugh out of Wonwoo’s lips.

“I’m charming enough for his son to be head over heels for me.” Wonwoo said confidently, and he was happy to hear Jun’s laughter.

About ten minutes later the special ringtone rang again. This time Jun looked less stressed, but there’s still guilt in his eyes when he told Wonwoo that he’d better gone home soon. Wonwoo said yes with a smile and held Jun’s hand all the time until they separated at the train station.


	3. Chapter 3

Left alone at a table near the kitchen counter, Wonwoo took his time to look around. It’s his first time coming to Xu Chinese Food, a Chinese restaurant two train stations away from Choi family house. He had a feeling that this might be the place Jun had told him before, the one owned by his uncle from his mother’s side. Jun promised to take him here some time, but who would’ve thought that Wonwoo’s first visit was with Jun’s father instead.

After that one dinner in Choi family’s house almost two months ago, Wonwoo hadn’t met Seungcheol again. He intended to visit again sometime soon, but Jun had been so busy with work that they couldn’t arrange another get-together.

Wonwoo had never thought that Seungcheol would contact him first and request to meet in this Chinese restaurant.  _ “Need to talk to you about something. Don’t tell Jun,” _ said Seungcheol on the phone. Even Wonwoo couldn’t help but having his heart beat nervously after the call. One, it was unexpected. Two, it’s from Jun’s father whom he didn’t manage to impress during their first real meeting. 

It wasn’t like Wonwoo lost some sleep because of nervousness. After the initial shock, he could calmly process the situation and went on with his life as usual. However on the appointed Saturday, Wonwoo felt himself sweating a bit more than usual as he saw Seungcheol waiting in front of the Bongdae train station main exit. With quick steps he approached Jun’s father and bowed. 

“I’m sorry for making you wait.”

Seungcheol shrugged. “I came too early. You’re not late.” 

With those words, Wonwoo let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. As he followed Seungcheol’s footsteps, he briefly reflected on what just happened. Noticing how nervous he had been, it reminded him how much he wanted Seungcheol to like him for the sake of his relationship with Jun. Naturally the edges of his lips curved up. He really loved Jun after all.

When the two of them went through the front door of Xu Chinese Food, Wonwoo was back to his usual composed self. Instead, he noticed that Seungcheol looked somewhat edgy. With their situation it should’ve been the other way around, and Wonwoo wondered what was bothering Seungcheol.

A female waiter brought only one menu to their table and gave it to Wonwoo. Wonwoo tried to pass it to Seungcheol, but the older man simply put out his right palm. He finally understood Seungcheol’s behavior when the waiter said, “The usual, Mr. Seungcheol?” Seungcheol answered with a nod and “Thank you, Nayoung.” Of course, Wonwoo thought. If this was really the restaurant owned by Jun’s uncle, Seungcheol must have visited often.

Wonwoo asked Nayoung for a mapo tofu and oolong tea. But before Nayoung could take their order to the chef, Seungcheol stopped her.

“It’s spicy,” said Seungcheol to Wonwoo. The older man was frowning and it should’ve been intimidating, but instead Wonwoo felt appreciative of the concern.

“It’s fine,” he replied.

“You like spicy food?” Seungcheol was asking Wonwoo things about him that didn’t have anything to do with his career and reputation. Another good sign, Wonwoo thought. 

“Not really, but I’m getting used to it thanks to Jun,” Wonwoo smiled. “I should be able to handle mapo tofu.”

However, Seungcheol didn’t reply to Wonwoo's smile. If this was a world inside a comic book, there would be an angry mark popping above Seungcheol’s head. Wonwoo couldn’t understand what changed Seungcheol’s mood, but he decided to do something about it.

“Do you like spicy food too?” Wonwoo thought it wouldn’t do any harm to ask. Getting an answer would help him to find out more about Seungcheol, which was one step for getting Seungcheol to like him.

Seungcheol still seemed somehow annoyed, but he shook his head and explained, “It’s Jun and his mother. I prefer non-spicy.” It’s more than a simple “yes” or “no” so Wonwoo was pleased.

That was their only conversation before Seungcheol excused himself to the men’s room. Wonwoo took the time to observe this Chinese restaurant he hoped would be familiar for him in the future. He wondered if Jun’s uncle was here right now. Would Jun’s uncle be as strict on him as Seungcheol was?

Wonwoo turned his body to his left and faced the restaurant entrance. On the way in earlier, he noticed a man statue at the front cashier desk and had been wondering about it. When he was briefly contemplating to check it out while Seungcheol’s away, he sensed a presence on his right.

Turning around, Wonwoo was greeted with the sight of a man with button nose and thin almond eyes. The man had full-grey hair, cut short on the sides with long bangs parted in the middle, and also visible wrinkles around his eyes. But the wrinkles were very much less compared to Seungcheol, so even though his hair was fully grey (unlike Seungcheol’s black-dyed hair), Wonwoo wondered if the man was much younger than Seungcheol and his hair was artificially colored. If someone told Wonwoo that the man was in his 30s, he would believe it.

Behind the man stood the waitress from earlier, Nayoung. She swiftly moved the cups and plates from her tray onto the table: mapo tofu for Wonwoo, a plate of char siu fried rice for Seungcheol, also two cups and a teapot of oolong tea. The man nodded with a smile at Nayoung before taking a seat on Wonwoo’s right. 

“You must be Wonwoo,” the man greeted him while extending his right hand. Wonwoo took it and received a warm grip.

“Yes,” said Wonwoo. But before he could say anything else, Seungcheol reappeared from the men’s room. Seungcheol and the man acknowledged each other with a nod. While Seungcheol took his seat across from Wonwoo, the grey-haired man took the teapot and poured oolong tea into Seungcheol and Wonwoo’s cups. Wonwoo hurriedly expressed his apology for having the older man serve his drink but the man merely shook his head and smiled.

The man turned to Seungcheol and said, “Stop frowning. You’ll look 70.”

Seungcheol dismissed the advice with a grunt and took a sip from his cup. “Why don’t you know anything about it?” He sounded more annoyed than the few minutes he entered this restaurant.

The grey-haired man responded, “You know Jun. He won’t talk, not even to me.” His answer made Wonwoo wonder, were they here to talk about Jun? Well, since Seungcheol was the one inviting him here, it was to be expected. But Wonwoo had a feeling that the specifics might not be about Jun’s relationship with Wonwoo. 

“Those brats wouldn’t spill anything,” Seungcheol continued with a deeper frown. 

To that, the grey-haired man let out a hearty laugh. “Risa and Taejoo are nice kids. Even if they know, they won’t snitch.” The names that came out from the man’s lips were Jun’s friends from college. Wonwoo had met them a few times and knew that they were quite close to Jun. 

Based on all the information so far, Wonwoo deduced that Jun was hiding something from Seungcheol and Seungcheol was bent on finding out. But Jun was not the type who would deliberately lie to his father. As for his relationship with Wonwoo, that was different because Jun never lied about meeting Wonwoo, only “postponing” on revealing their status. So judging from Jun’s personality… the chance was that Jun was acting weird at home and made Seungcheol worried, but tried to convince his father that there’s no problem. Yes, that’s the most likely scenario.

Seungcheol opened his mouth again. “And why do you think he knows,” he said with a quick glance to Wonwoo.

“Well,  _ you _ believe he knows. That’s why you take him here,” the grey-haired man replied with a roll of his eyes.

Seungcheol’s response was almost like a sulk. “You’re the one who told me to ask!” He pouted when the grey-haired man replied to him with a laugh.

“Anyway,” the grey-haired man said after his laughter died down. “Let me introduce myself first.” He turned to Wonwoo and said, “I’m Xu Minghao. Jun’s uncle.”

It’s him, the younger brother of Choi Shuli, thought Wonwoo. Jun told him that Uncle Minghao was 5 years younger than his mother, so he should be 50 year old now, but with his almost wrinkle-free skin, Wonwoo swore that Minghao could pass as 35. 

Since earlier Minghao had recognized him and his name (probably being told by Jun), Wonwoo replied with, “Jun has told me about you. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

Minghao’s smile turned wider. “I bet he says I’m his favorite uncle,” he said with a grin. Both of them laughed.

Meanwhile Seungcheol didn’t join them. The single father kept a sour face as he took another sip from his tea cup. When Minghao calmed down from his laugh and looked at Seungcheol expectantly, Seungcheol closed his eyes for a few moments. He sighed as his eyelids fluttered open and said, “Did Jun tell you something? He’s been quiet since Wednesday…”

At Seungcheol’s question, Wonwoo tried to dig into his memory from the past week. Jun was indeed acting a bit different, being more needy when texting or talking on the phone. It’s been an especially busy week at work for Jun, he didn’t even have time for lunch with Wonwoo. On Friday they finally met at the cafeteria and Jun was almost clinging to Wonwoo, not minding their location and the people surrounding them. Jun told Wonwoo nothing; it’s not that unusual considering Jun’s rather closed-off personality. But Wonwoo had a feeling that his continual sour mood was caused by work.

Wonwoo thought for a brief moment on how to tell Seungcheol. He finally decided to tell the truth. “He didn’t tell me anything but it might be about work.”

Seungcheol nodded grimly. “Can you find out?” 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea…” Wonwoo understood Seungcheol’s concern but he thought it would be better to not pry into it unless Jun told them.

Seungcheol clearly had the opposite opinion. He frowned as he said, “So you’re saying we just let him suffer?” Wonwoo's first impression upon seeing Seungcheol’s reaction was how endearing Seungcheol was as a father. 

“I assume you already asked him directly?” Wonwoo responded with another question instead. When Seungcheol gave a firm nod (still with a frown), Wonwoo asked, “And he said ‘It’s nothing’ or something like that?”

“That’s why I’m asking you,” Seungcheol replied almost immediately and with a hint of exasperation. It seemed that he was at the limits of his patience. That’s actually the real problem, thought Wonwoo.

“If we keep bugging him to open up, Jun will close up even more. If we try to go roundabout and find out in other ways, he might get angry,” said Wonwoo. He saw Seungcheol’s frown starting to fall apart and continued, “Maybe all he needs from us is some space.”

Wonwoo could see from Seungcheol’s eyes that the older man saw some sense in Wonwoo’s words. But Seungcheol seemed to struggle with patience. “And do nothing?”

It’s not that Wonwoo couldn’t relate with Seungcheol. To see someone you care about struggling is not an easy thing. But the thing about Jun was that the more you push him, the more he backs away. That’s why Wonwoo proposed, “How about smiling during breakfast?” 

At Wonwoo’s words, Seungcheol widened his eyes in confusion.

“Instead of trying to do something different to cheer him up,” Wonwoo continued, “How about doing everything as usual? I’m sure Jun feels easier to gain back his energy when he sees you smiling and talking to him like every other day.”

The creases on Seungcheol’s forehead had completely disappeared, leaving behind a hint of acceptance in his contemplating face. The older man didn’t say a word after that and Wonwoo understood that he needed time. They ended up devouring their previously untouched meal, Seungcheol digging into his plate in silence while Wonwoo and Minghao were engaging in conversation. 

Jun’s father only spoke again at the end of their lunch, responding to a joke by Minghao with a mildly annoyed look. Seungcheol had a small smile and the troubled look in his face was no longer visible. After raising a hand at Wonwoo taking out his wallet, Seungcheol paid for both of them and they separated in front of Xu Chinese Food.

***

Wonwoo didn’t hear from Seungcheol again after their lunch at Xu Chinese Food. It was almost two weeks later that he received a form of communication from the single father, and it was not a direct text or call. It was an invitation for watching the match between FC Seoul and Seongnam FC on Sunday afternoon, relayed through Jun.

Jun seemed rather confused when he told Wonwoo about his father’s invitation. “He said since my work has calmed down, we should get out and have fun…” said Jun. His voice trailed off and left an unspoken question of why Seungcheol invited Wonwoo. The curious look still remained on Jun’s face but a wide smile bloomed on his face when Wonwoo agreed to go to the match. 

When Sunday arrived, Wonwoo met with Jun and Seungcheol at the parking lot of Sangam stadium. He saw Seungcheol’s Hyundai at the right end of the open space, but before he could approach it, he was greeted by a somewhat restless Jun at the entrance. Seungcheol followed behind his son, greeting Wonwoo with a courteous nod. 

There’s a flash of conflict on Seungcheol’s face when Wonwoo said “Thank you for inviting me,” but the older man politely replied with a simple “No worries.”

The three of them entered the stadium and settled down on the west side of the field, near the goal post of FC Seoul. Seungcheol moved first towards the middle of the row, followed by Jun and then Wonwoo. Once seated, Jun started to twinkle his eyes with excitement. It was too adorable that Wonwoo couldn’t help but stare. It was when Wonwoo lifted his gaze from his boyfriend that he knew he wasn’t the only one mesmerized by Jun. At the end of his gaze he found Seungcheol looking at his son with fondness overflowing from his orbs. Before Wonwoo could look away, Seungcheol lifted his gaze too and their eyes met. The gentle sparkle in Seungcheol’s eyes immediately turned into awkwardness. 

Seungcheol refused to look away first, his gaze determined. Meanwhile Wonwoo was simply lost on how to react. Would it be rude if he turned away? He probably should give a nod or smile but somewhere inside his heart Wonwoo was afraid of the rejection that would surely come. 

At the end neither of them needed to decide. Suddenly Jun let out a loud cheer in between them, automatically leading Wonwoo and Seungcheol to turn at Jun. A split second later, the whole stadium was roaring. The game was about to start.

To be honest Wonwoo didn’t really understand the appeal of watching a sports game, but he had a grasp of football basic rules so he managed to keep up. He even read some articles about the clubs and players before coming to this game. It’s actually more interesting than the game itself, although Wonwoo must admit that the fervor filling up the stadium managed to affect him so that his heart danced a bit whenever the ball was approaching a goal post.

One time Seongnam’s forward had the ball and was moving to score a goal, but stopped by FC Seoul’s defender before he could attempt a kick. The audience on their side grew loud with sounds cheering. 

On Wonwoo’s right, Jun let out a loud sigh of relief. “Kim Bogum…” Jun clapped his hands as he stared at Seoul's player in awe. “I’m sure it would’ve been fine even if Kangnam took a shot. Park Minhyun would’ve caught it. But wow, that was satisfying to see.”

Wonwoo smiled at Jun’s animated speech about the scene earlier. “Park has a 90% rate of success the past year so I guess you’re right,” said Wonwoo, mentioning the fact he read about FC Seoul’s goalkeeper. He merely thought it was relevant and that’s why he said it, never expecting both Jun and Seungcheol to turn their heads and look at him as if he just grew a pair of wings on his back.

Apparently Jun was happy that Wonwoo knew enough to comment on the game with them and kept asking Wonwoo about his thoughts. Wonwoo gladly talked about what he knew and felt very rewarded by Jun’s wide smile.

Even so, Wonwoo couldn’t completely ignore the cold aura emitted by Seungcheol on Jun’s right side. It’s not that he could talk about football enough to “steal” Seungcheol’s role as Jun’s favorite person to go watch a game. He’s sure of it. But Seungcheol didn’t seem to share the same opinion as Wonwoo. While at times Seungcheol showed signs of being impressed at Wonwoo’s knowledge, he generally glanced at Wonwoo with a glint of rivalry in his eyes.

The game ended with FC Seoul’s close win, resulting in Jun and Seungcheol walking out of the stadium with their widest smile today. Although they were well prepared with snacks and drinks throughout the game, it turned out that being supporters took much energy and so they decided to stop by for early dinner at a nearby food court. Apparently it’s Jun and Seungcheol's favorite go-to place after a match at Sangam. 

After getting their meals and getting a table, Jun stood up and announced that he’ll get them some drinks. He was gone before Seungcheol could open his mouth and that’s how Wonwoo ended up being alone with the single father.

An awkward silence hung between them. Seungcheol had his lips pulled into a thin line, seemingly adamant to push through with this situation. However Wonwoo thought he should make use of this good opportunity and spoke up.

“Thank you, again, for inviting me,” Wonwoo said and received a glance from Seungcheol. “I really enjoyed it.”

Seungcheol cleared his throat before nodding at Wonwoo’s words, his eyes not actually meeting Wonwoo’s. So it wasn’t a welcoming attitude but Wonwoo wasn’t giving up.

“I heard for the next match it will be against Daegu FC.”

“You’re right.”

“Should be an interesting game. Both have had high achievements the past 3 years.”

“True.”

Even Wonwoo started to feel dispirited against Seungcheol’s curt response, but that didn’t mean he’s giving up.

“Will you two go watch it?”

Seungcheol didn’t answer immediately. He finally gazed straight at Wonwoo and let out a tired sigh.

“Look, we usually go watch every game as long as it’s on the weekends. But I don’t know about this time.” Seungcheol spat out his words with a bitter tone. “Jun might want to go with just the two of you,” he ended with a large shrug, which gave Wonwoo the impression that Seungcheol was trying hard to not let his own words get to him.

Wonwoo took a few moments to think about Seungcheol’s words. Could it be that Seungcheol really thought Jun would do that? It might be presumptuous of Wonwoo as he had only known Jun for four years, definitely nothing compared to Seungcheol. But he was certain that Jun wouldn’t trade a chance to watch a game with his father in favor for a date with Wonwoo. For Wonwoo, it’s nothing to be jealous of because he understood how much family time meant to Jun. It’s somewhat sad to see Seungcheol doubting that because he felt threatened by Wonwoo’s presence.

“Jun and I have this game,” Wonwoo said. His sudden change of topic brought a questioning look on Seungcheol’s face.

Satisfied from getting Seungcheol’s attention, Wonwoo continued, “We would play rock-paper-scissors and the loser reveals something about themselves. It’s one way for us to get to know each other.”

Wonwoo paused to smile as the memories from the games came flashing through his mind. “Jun would tell me about his college days, high school, many things… Mostly the stories have you in them.”

The bitter aura surrounding Seungcheol had started to dissolve, leaving an astounded Seungcheol who stared at Wonwoo in silence. 

“Whenever he mentioned your name, his whole face would light up as if he’s reliving the best moment in his entire life,” Wonwoo smiled at Jun’s father. “It’s beautiful.”

Seungcheol’s eyes softened as if Jun was in front of him and he said, “He is.”

Wonwoo kept his smile. “He wouldn’t leave you for a football novice like me.” That got Seungcheol chuckling.

“You know him well, don’t you,” said Seungcheol with his first relaxed smile for Wonwoo.

A surge of relief and joy ran through Wonwoo’s chest and he replied, “I try too.”

A look of firmness returned to Seungcheol’s eyes but there was nothing hostile with the air surrounding him. It seemed that Seungcheol just wanted Wonwoo to know that he meant what he said next.

“Make sure you do so you can take care of him.”

It took several moments before Seungcheol’s words finally sunk in, and by then Jun had returned to their table with a tray of drinks. With Jun present, Wonwoo tried to communicate his gratitude to Seungcheol with his gaze, but Seungcheol barely glanced at his direction. Maybe Seungcheol was embarrassed? 

Wonwoo decided to give up and look for other chances to thank Seungcheol for what he took as a blessing to his relationship with Jun. In the meantime he could do his best to do as Seungcheol had told him, Wonwoo thought as his lips naturally curved up into a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Wonwoo admitted that he got too carried away. 

In his defense, Jun was sitting on the swing next to him with his head stretched towards Wonwoo, eyes gazing at him with overflowing adoration. They just had a restaurant date and stopped by a park near Jun’s apartment, sitting on a swing and admiring the moon that proudly showed its beauty in the clear sky. The night air was cool enough for them to seek warmth and they pulled the swings close so their thighs and knees were constantly touching each other. 

Jun was the first to drop his gaze towards Wonwoo’s lips, but it wouldn’t have mattered for Seungcheol. What’s important was that Wonwoo closed the distance between their faces and swept a kiss on Jun’s lips. The fleeting touch was enough to make them realize that it _wasn’t_ enough, so they both did what naturally felt right: pressing their lips together again, and again, and again. 

It felt like an eternity (which Wonwoo didn’t mind spending) before Wonwoo registered a sound of coughing. It was coming from somewhere in front of the swings, a bit farther towards the park entrance, and suspiciously exaggerated so it can be heard from the swings. Pulling away from Jun, Wonwoo turned towards the source of the sound and saw Seungcheol standing in a sweater and carrying a small shopping bag. The older man had every line on his face tight and spread thin. And most importantly, his glare piercing right through Wonwoo as if trying to rip him apart.

“Papa!” Jun exclaimed, clearly flustered. “What are you doing here?” He pulled his body away from Wonwoo but it did little to brush away the tension from Seungcheol’s expression. The damage was done.

“I was getting some toothpaste from CU. Forgot it at the supermarket last week,” said Seungcheol. Wonwoo remembered that there was indeed a CU convenience store a few meters from this park. Seungcheol must have seen Jun and Wonwoo on his walk back to the apartment.

“You could’ve told me,” said Jun, cheeks still colored in pink. 

“It’s okay. Needed the walk anyway.” Seungcheol paused for a split second before saying with a bitter tone, “Glad I did.” There’s something in his voice that tells Wonwoo he’s not exactly _glad_ , but he’d do it anyway even if he had a choice to redo.

After that Jun left Wonwoo at the park and went home with Seungcheol. Watching the father and son’s figure from behind, Wonwoo saw Seungcheol wrapping his right arm protectively over Jun’s shoulder. Somehow Wonwoo got an ominous feeling from what was supposed to be a heartwarming family moment.

His hunch was proven true the next time he and Jun were going on a date. Usually they met at the train station or somewhere outside, but today Jun asked Wonwoo to pick him up at his apartment. _“I tried to persuade him but Papa insisted you should pick me up…”_ said Jun in his texts.

When Wonwoo tried to convince Jun that it’s fine, Jun replied, “ _It’s not that I don’t want you to meet. He just seems in a bad mood._ ” Right, bad mood. Both of them knew it wasn’t as simple as that.

Wonwoo regrettably thought of how Jun must be disappointed. When Seungcheol seemed to warm up to Wonwoo and invited him to go to the football match, Jun couldn’t stop smiling for the whole day. Now that Seungcheol is back to “protective father” mode, he’s reacting sensitively to any mention of Wonwoo’s name. It’s like taking two regretful steps back after one promising step forward. 

When Wonwoo arrived in front of Choi family residence on that Saturday date night, it was Seungcheol who opened the door. The single father did it just seconds after Wonwoo rang the bell, as if he had been waiting behind the door all the time. The way Seungcheol looked at him was unnerving, but Wonwoo forced a smile. Seungcheol didn’t reply with a smile.

“Come,” said Seungcheol curtly. “Let’s have a quick chat before you go.” The words made Wonwoo’s heart skip a beat.

It’s not often for Wonwoo to get his calm disturbed, and recently it’s all because of Jun. The change might not have been instant since the moment they met four years ago, but his days were slowly colored with more emotions. Wonwoo was grateful for it, and it’s not only the thrill from having Jun gaze at him or touch him or the overwhelming contentment from walking side by side with Jun. He’s even thankful for the extreme worry he got when Jun was sick or sad, also the uncomfortable feeling of being scrutinized by Jun’s father right now. It’s weird but Wonwoo wouldn’t trade it for the world. That’s why Wonwoo followed Seungcheol with steady steps into the Choi family living room even though he knew he’s not going to have an easy conversation. 

Seungcheol took the single chair while Wonwoo took the sofa next to it. As Wonwoo took his seat, Jun came out of his room and apologized, “I’m sorry, I can’t decide on my hat and I haven’t finished with my face.” Wonwoo assured his boyfriend with a smile. He understood that Jun could take some time to prepare when going out, and he really didn’t mind. 

Before retreating back to his room, Jun threw a worried glance at his father. Seungcheol gave his son a smile and said, “Take your time, Junnie. I’ll accompany Wonwoo.” Jun didn’t seem any less worried, but he nodded and replied to his father with a small hopeful smile. 

Seungcheol’s smile was gone once Jun was out of sight. The sudden change made Wonwoo take a large gulp and brace himself.

“Where are you two going?” Seungcheol started the conversation-slash-interrogation.

“We’re having dinner at Myeongdong then watch a play.”

“Where?”

“Pierre Gagnaire.”

Seungcheol squinted his eyes. “It’s a bit costly… Is there any special occasion?”

“No, we just thought it would be nice to indulge a bit, Jun had just finished a big project so…”

Seungcheol looked like he doubted Wonwoo’s reason but didn’t pry into it. “The play?” he asked instead.

“In NANTA.”

“I hope you understand that even though it’s dark during the show you cannot let your hands travel around into places you’re not supposed--”

“Papa!” 

Before Seungcheol could finish his “warning”, Jun came out from his room, looking red on the face. Maybe he was embarrassed, angry, or both.

“Why do you talk to Wonwoo like that?” Jun looked at his father with a frown and disappointed gaze.

At his son’s reaction, Seungcheol’s eyes wavered for a split second before settling with a stubborn glint. “Well we all know he’s prone to take advantage in the dark,” said Seungcheol with a huff, basically admitting that he was indeed still angry about Wonwoo and Jun making out at the park.

Jun looked like he regretted this conversation to have started in the first place. He shut his eyelids tightly for a second. “It’s just a kiss,” Jun protested as he opened his eyes.

“I know what a kiss looks like and that’s not it.” Seungcheol said firmly. “He was eating your face out.”

Wonwoo knew that Jun didn’t have any objection at Wonwoo “eating his face out.” Jun liked it enough to initiate it himself as often as Wonwoo does it. But revealing that would embarrass Jun more than he already was and do nothing to pacify Seungcheol, so Wonwoo kept his mouth shut.

Since Jun could only press his lips together into a thin line, Seungcheol seemed to decide that it was not necessary to discuss the incident any further. The 56-year-old man turned to Wonwoo and gave his send-off words. “Just remember that when you go to the theater. And make sure Jun gets home by 10.” 

Despite not feeling surprised at Seungcheol trying to put a curfew on his 26-year-old son, Wonwoo couldn’t just go along with it. Choosing his words carefully, Wonwoo finally said, “Actually the play ends at 9:30. Jun can get back before 11.”

Wonwoo wasn’t surprised when Seungcheol adamantly stated, “He’s going home by 10.”

As Wonwoo ran out of ideas, it was Jun’s turn to try convincing his father. 

“Papa.” There’s a hint of exasperation in Jun’s voice. “I’m not in highschool anymore. Even high school kids go home at midnight.” 

Jun had a point. High school kids in Seoul often spend their nights studying in cram schools until as late as 12 PM, which was considered natural due to the high competition in university entrance exams. But Jun had never experienced that. Jun told Wonwoo that Seungcheol hired a private tutor to help him study at home so he didn’t have to be out in the city at the dead of the night.

At his son’s pleading, Seungcheol wrinkled his forehead and argued back with sad eyes. “Papa is worried.”

“But Wonwoo reserved the tickets a long time ago,” Jun no longer tried to hide his desperation in his voice. “I’ll be home by 11, I promise.” He was outrightly begging at this point, but Seungcheol shook his head and Jun was forced to bite his lips in frustration. 

His son’s response brought a disapproving frown to Seungcheol’s face. It seemed that he had things to say about it, but he directed his gaze down to the floor and mumbled instead. “Talking back… Must be his influence…”

Wonwoo witnessed the way Jun’s expression changed into undisguised rage and his brain put up an alarm inside his head. Something bad was going to happen, Wonwoo felt it in his bones. Meanwhile, Seungcheol hadn’t seemed to realize it yet as his gaze was still plastered to his living room floor.

“Why do you talk like that about Wonwoo…” Jun spoke with a bitter tone that made even Wonwoo nervous. 

Seungcheol looked up and his eyes widened in surprise. He might not be used to seeing his son giving him such an angry look. When he eventually regained composure, the edges of his lips flattened into a firm line. “I’m just stating the truth,” Seungcheol said, uncompromising. “Since him, you start to lie to me.”

The accusation brought an angry look that Wonwoo never thought he would see Jun giving to his father, “I never lie. I always tell you when I go out with Wonwoo.”

“But you didn’t tell me he’s your boyfriend.”

“I was just waiting for the right time to tell you.”

“Why wait? You can just tell me.”

“If I did, would you be nice to him?”

Seungcheol ignored Jun’s question. “He’s a bad influence on you. I’m sad you didn’t trust me.” To Wonwoo’s ears his words sounded like an attempt to guilt-trip his son.

Jun might have felt the same. It was clear from the way his face turned completely red; this was crossing the line. 

“How could you say that?” Jun wasn’t shouting but his quiet voice was piercing through the tense atmosphere. “When it’s you who never trust me.” His words came out like he was spitting them. 

Seungcheol’s pupils narrowed so much until they almost disappeared from the expanding white of his eyes. He opened his mouth in retaliation but before he could say whatever argument he got, Jun interrupted. This time Jun wasn’t holding back.

“I stopped skateboarding because you _panicked_ after I fell and hurt my arm _once_. I quit the volunteer club in college because you kept nagging about how busy I got and rambling about what if I get sick and whatever. I always have to hold back what I really want because you never trust me enough.” Pain and accusation packed his next words. “I’m never worthy of your trust, am I?”

Seungcheol looked like he had been slapped on the face. Wonwoo thought that it was true in a way.

Jun said not another word as he grabbed Wonwoo’s hand and dragged his boyfriend to the door. Wonwoo didn’t fight but took the little time he had to turn his head and look at Seungcheol as they left the living room. The look of despair on the single father’s face was heartbreaking to witness.

Seungcheol didn’t follow them but Jun’s steps never slowed down as they got out of the apartment and headed to the train station. They ended up cancelling their date and went to Wonwoo’s apartment instead. Jun was too upset so Wonwoo suggested ordering takeout and eating in. At first Jun insisted they stick to the plan, but his distress seemed to have robbed all of his energy and soon gave up. 

Jun barely finished his first bite of the Chinese food they ordered when tears started rolling down his cheeks, and the silent sniffles quickly turned into sobs. Wonwoo didn’t try to make Jun stop. He simply cradled Jun’s head with his right arm and let his boyfriend cry on his chest.

It was 10 PM when Jun stopped crying. He pleaded to Wonwoo with bloodshot eyes when Wonwoo pointed out the time. Wonwoo couldn’t do anything against his boyfriend’s heartbroken gaze and told Jun to wash his face and go to sleep in his bedroom. When Wonwoo followed Jun to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he tried suggesting Jun to contact his father, but he didn’t see Jun touching his phone at all for the rest of the night. 

After tucking Jun into bed, Wonwoo slipped out of the bedroom with an excuse of getting a glass of water. Instead of going to the kitchen, he went straight to the living room to find Jun’s phone. It was left on the table in front of the sofa with the screen facing down. Wonwoo briefly wondered why it hadn’t rung once since they got here and got the answer when he picked up the device. It was powered off.

He skipped on pushing the power button and put Jun’s phone back to the table, freeing his hand to pull out his own phone that he got inside his pants’ pocket. Wonwoo opened the chat application and looked for his chat thread with Seungcheol. The last message was from the day before they met at Minghao’s restaurant. 

Wonwoo typed into the chatbox, “ _Jun is in my place. He’s very tired right now. I will tell him to go home tomorrow._ ”

The message was instantly marked as read, but it took a long time before Seungcheol replied. Wonwoo even gave up waiting and was about to go back to bed when the screen lit up. It was a short, “ _Okay_ ” followed with a single line, “ _Don’t do anything_ _inappropriate.”_ Wonwoo stared at the message for a while. He was slightly stunned, but it was because of Seungcheol’s first reply instead of the “threat” afterwards. He had expected Seungcheol to call, demand his address, and come to take Jun home with him. 

But when Wonwoo settled himself in the bed next to Jun, he recalled the short moments he had with Seungcheol and was reminded of a fact: Choi Seungcheol cared for his son more than anyone in this world. 

***

Sunday morning Jun woke up with puffy eyes but had enough energy to moan about it in the bathroom and rummaged Wonwoo’s kitchen to concoct the remedy. In contrast with the time in the bathroom, he was quiet as he worked his hands to wet two tea bags and put them into the refrigerator. He kept his silence when he continued to move around the kitchen and make them a quick breakfast of boiled eggs and toasts, gloomy aura surrounding him. It made Wonwoo’s heart ache, but he didn’t try to force Jun to smile. After last night, Jun might need some time.

After breakfast and two cold bags of tea, Jun’s eyes looked better. Apparently it also improved his mood and he suggested going out to town for lunch. “We didn’t get to go on a date yet,” he simply said. Wonwoo said yes and thought of talking with Jun about going home to Seungcheol later after the date. But what was supposed to be a lunch date ended up extending into a stroll for the rest of the afternoon, and soon the sun was setting. 

Wonwoo thought he couldn’t delay it anymore so he brought up the topic after Jun pulled him into another clothing store. Jun kept his eyes on the rack of clothes in front of him as he said, “I don’t want to go home.” Wonwoo, being Wonwoo, couldn’t force Jun and agreed to having him stay for another night. 

When Jun picked out a shirt he liked from the rack and went to the changing room to try it out, Wonwoo pulled out his own phone. He didn’t see Jun touching his phone the whole day and assumed the worst, that Jun still put the device off. Thinking the possibility of Seungcheol not getting any news from Jun, Wonwoo opened his chat thread with Seungcheol and typed, “ _I’m sorry. He still doesn’t want to go home. I will try again tomorrow._ ” Same as last night, Wonwoo’s message was immediately marked as read. This time the reply didn’t take as long. 

The first line got Wonwoo’s heart skipping a beat. “ _Tell me your address,_ ” it said. An image of Seungcheol coming to his apartment and trying to drag Jun out of it quickly flashed through Wonwoo’s mind. It was eventually erased by Seungcheol’s next line. “ _I’ll send Jun’s clothes and stuff he might need._ ” 

Before Wonwoo could type his address, another text came from Seungcheol. “ _He might not want to see me so I’ll have them sent with a delivery service._ ” It’s just a plain text but somehow Wonwoo could feel the pain hidden behind each word. 

The package from Seungcheol came a while after Wonwoo and Jun got back to Wonwoo’s apartment. Jun had a surprised look on his face when accepting the box, but it was quickly replaced by sadness. The emotion seemed to be so overwhelming that Jun had to bite his quivering lips as he opened the box and took out his belongings one by one. There were clean clothes and underwear, skincare and makeup products, Jun’s work bag, and even three different pairs of shoes. Jun liked to change his shoes to suit his clothings, and he possessed quite the collection. Among the many pairs Jun owned, there’s one that he wore quite often. This particular pair was easy to match with many kinds of outfit, Jun told Wonwoo before. And now Wonwoo recognized it among the pairs that Seungcheol sent. Seungcheol must have considered that when choosing the shoes. Seeing the way Jun’s eyes wavering when looking at the shoes, Wonwoo wondered if Jun was thinking the same thing.

The last item Jun pulled out from the box was a smaller and sturdy box. There was confusion in Jun’s eyes and it seemed that he didn’t recognize the box. But when revealing the content, Jun was back to the verge of tears. It was a framed picture of the Choi family, all three of them. Wonwoo thought it was different from the one on the shelf of Choi family’s TV room that he saw when he visited, but he’s not sure. 

Jun put back everything into the box with careful movements and headed to Wonwoo’s bedroom. Before leaving he said, “Please tell him I have received it.” Jun had his back at Wonwoo so there was no way to see his expression, but the way his voice quivered was telling Wonwoo that Jun was struggling to keep his composure.

When they went to bed that night, Wonwoo saw Jun looking at the framed picture of his family while lying down on the mattress. He couldn’t see Jun’s expression because Jun had his back on him. A moment later Jun put the photo on the bedside table and wriggled so his body was now facing the ceiling of Wonwoo’s bedroom. Finally Wonwoo could see Jun’s face. His boyfriend’s side profile was neutral from any emotion, there’s only fatigue left on his features. They bid each other good night and Wonwoo watched Jun’s eyes closing before falling asleep.

On Monday Jun left to work from Wonwoo’s apartment. Since they’re going to the same destination, they left the apartment and headed to the train station together. The train was still empty when they boarded it, but at the third stop it was immediately packed with working men and women. Luckily Wonwoo and Jun already secured seats before the car was full. One stop before their destination, Wonwoo pulled Jun to stand up with him. For 3 minutes until reaching their final station, they had to be on their feet while being pressed all around by the other bodies around them. It’s somewhat numbing and Wonwoo felt bad for Jun; his boyfriend always got sent to and picked up with his father’s car ever since his school days and even now. Jun only went home from work on his own on several occasions, such as when he’s doing overtime more than one hour or having dinner with colleagues. But if they didn’t leave their seats one stop before, they wouldn’t be able to get off the train in time. Wonwoo had been late to work once because of it. 

Wonwoo took Jun’s hand when they’re getting off the train, thankfully in one piece despite being squashed like sardines in a can. Once they walked out of the platform and got through the ticketing portal, Jun pulled on their intertwined hand, prompting Wonwoo to stop a few hundred meters away from the portal, just far enough so they wouldn’t be trampled by the wave of humans going to and out from the portal. 

When Wonwoo turned to face his boyfriend, he was greeted with a chuckle. “Here,” said Jun as he lifted his left hand, the one not holding Wonwoo’s hand, and moved his fingers over Wonwoo’s head, tidying the strands of hair. After Jun seemed satisfied with his work, he asked Wonwoo, “How about me?” Jun’s question made Wonwoo look at his boyfriend with more attention to details, and noticed that Jun looked fine for someone who just got out of a rush-hour train. So Wonwoo put his right hand on Jun’s cheek and said, “Perfect.” That got Jun laughing.

Wonwoo was happy to see Jun smiling, but he still felt sorry for making Jun go to all that trouble first thing in the morning. He was used to it so it’s fine, but that might not be the case for Jun. An image of Seungcheol during their first dinner flashed through Wonwoo’s head, along with Seungcheol’s critical voice saying, “Do you plan on being a copy editor forever?”

The thoughts prompted Wonwoo to look into Jun’s eyes and said, “I’m sorry.” 

Jun widened his eyes in surprise but a split second later he gave Wonwoo a sincere, happy smile. His cheeks were covered in pink but Jun didn’t remove his gaze from Wonwoo’s eyes as he said, “It’s okay. I… waking up to see you… have breakfast together, go to work together… I like it.”

At Jun’s confession, Wonwoo felt happiness swelling within him. If he wasn’t in a train station full of people, he would’ve kissed Jun. Instead, he gave Jun’s hand a gentle squeeze and a smile.

Blessed with such a wonderful morning, Wonwoo started his work day with so much positive energy. Even his co-workers noticed and pointed it out with glee and amusement. However his excitement turned into guilt when he opened his phone at lunchtime. There’s a series of texts from Seungcheol.

_“How’s Jun doing?”_

_“Is there any more stuff he needs?”_

_“Did he finish his breakfast?”_

There’s an uncomfortable twist in Wonwoo’s chest as he saw the texts worrying about Jun. When he was soaring high with happiness, Seungcheol was worried and lonely. It didn’t feel right. 

Thankfully Jun was eating lunch outside today because he got a photoshoot to oversee. Wonwoo had the luxury of being alone as he replied to Seungcheol’s texts. After explaining that Jun had been doing well, remorse compelled Wonwoo to text, “I will suggest him to go home.”

Seungcheol’s reply came after a whole 10 minutes. It says, “ _It’s okay. He might get angry again._ ” Wonwoo wondered if Seungcheol took quite some time because he was busy with something, or because he found the message hard to type. He could only imagine Seungcheol’s feelings when sending that reply. Wonwoo’s heart ached as he was no longer someone who spent his morning waking up to his lovely boyfriend, but someone who was separated from his beloved after years of living with just the two of them.

Wonwoo finished his lunch at 10 minutes before the end of lunchtime. He had his lunch box packed and was about to walk back to his office floor when he noticed a new notification. It was another message from Seungcheol.

“ _Thank you for taking care of Jun._ ”

The single line stopped Wonwoo on his tracks and led him to a decision that might make Jun angry at him. 

***

Wonwoo could tell that Jun was mad at him. Sitting right across him on the table, his boyfriend barely gave him a glance since arriving at Xu Chinese Food. Jun’s figure was visibly tense as he did his best to not look at Wonwoo and Seungcheol sitting on Jun’s side. Adamant to ignore the two, Jun kept his gaze exclusively to the surface of the table.

It was hard to accept such cold treatment from Jun, but Wonwoo was prepared for it when he asked Seungcheol to join them for lunch without telling Jun. It was Saturday, a week since Jun left home and stayed at Wonwoo’s.

Of course, Jun’s discontent was not missed by Seungcheol. The single father observed Jun’s sour face with a mix of exasperation and fondness. The gesture provided a slight comfort for Wonwoo as he convinced himself that he was doing the right thing. 

When Seungcheol removed his gaze from his son, his eyes met with Wonwoo’s. At first Wonwoo’s immediate reaction was to squirm in awkwardness, but when he told himself to smile, Seungcheol responded with a melancholy smile. The exchange felt like a form of wordless communication, and Wonwoo thought he might have shared some kind of understanding with Jun’s father. It was a pleasant thing, although Wonwoo couldn’t deny that he was more than surprised by the unexpected nature. Even Seungcheol himself seemed to be surprised by his own response. When his eyes glinted in realization, the single father quickly removed his gaze, leaving Wonwoo with a side profile that looked slightly red.

Minghao came to greet them just after their orders were delivered to their table. The previously gloomy Jun perked up at the presence of his uncle. In a brief second after greeting Minghao, Jun looked Wonwoo straight in the eyes for the first time since arriving in the restaurant. Wonwoo felt pressure behind the seemingly neutral gaze and it prompted him to move to the empty seat next to him and urge Minghao to take his original spot right across Jun. Thankfully Minghao seemed to decide not to point it out and obediently take the seat. The lunch started as they dug into their plates and the table finally came to life, although the lively atmosphere was mostly reserved to Jun and Minghao side of the table thanks to Jun only conversing with Minghao as if Wonwoo and Seungcheol didn’t exist.

Seungcheol was pouting at his son’s cold attitude, but didn’t say anything about it and continued to eat his fried rice in silence. The sight tugged Wonwoo’s heart and pushed him to start a conversation with Seungcheol with the hope of distracting him even for just a little. Seungcheol responded to Wonwoo’s effort and the two of them kept exchanging words as they ate.

At some point Wonwoo noticed that it was only him and Seungcheol talking on the table. He stole a glance to his right to see Jun staring at them without blinking. The way Jun’s eyes widened in awe was adorable, but Wonwoo decided not to mention the fact. Based on his experience, Jun might draw himself back into his safe zone when he feels uncomfortable attention so Wonwoo continued to converse with Seungcheol as if he didn’t notice.

Just as Wonwoo predicted, Jun started to participate in the conversation after Wonwoo let him be. This brought a genuine smile to Seungcheol’s face and Wonwoo was relieved.

It’s impressive how much they talked, before Wonwoo knew it the clock had already pointed to well past 3 PM. Minghao was the one who mentioned the time, saying that he’s got business to be done and excusing himself from the table. 

With Minghao gone, the three of them returned into a calmer atmosphere with Wonwoo and Seungcheol mainly leading the conversation. In contrast, the previously relaxed Jun seemed slightly tense. The creases on his forehead were telling that he’s deliberating about something.

“I think it’s time we go back…” Jun suggested in a quiet voice, almost whispering. Both Wonwoo and Seungcheol caught his words though, and they exchanged glances without even meaning to. Wonwoo saw a bit of sadness coming back to Seungcheol’s eyes.

“Yes, okay,” Seungcheol said as he raised his right hand to ask the waiter for the bill. 

Seungcheol and Jun had another short talk as they discussed who’s paying for the lunch. Jun quietly agreed with a nod when his father looked at him in the eyes and said he’ll pay for everyone. Once the payment was done, they all stood up from the table. That’s when Seungcheol spoke again.

“I trust you,” the 56-year-old said to his son. Seungcheol’s eyes were wavering but his voice was certain. 

Jun seemed to understand what Seungcheol was referring to and his gaze trembled in a way akin to his father. There were no words coming out from his lips though. It looked like he was struggling to form even a single word.

Wonwoo debated for a split second whether it’s a wise thing to put himself into the father-son conversation, but eventually he decided to say, “You just wanted to be with him as often and as long as you can.”

At his words, Seungcheol removed his gaze from Jun and stared at Wonwoo with wide eyes. There’s a flicker of relief in his eyes, as if he had just been liberated from a heavy burden. The single father gave Wonwoo a nod.

Next to Wonwoo, Jun had the muscles of his face tightening, making his expression hard to read. In the end Jun said goodbye to his father with a wave and not another word. 

***

Jun entered Wonwoo’s apartment in some sort of a daze, barely registering the sound of Wonwoo closing the door behind them. His hands were moving to take off his jacket and his legs brought him to Wonwoo’s bedroom, but he hardly felt it. It’s like his limbs were moving as a separate entity from him. In his head he was busy replaying the scene that happened when he was about to leave Uncle Hao about an hour ago. 

It was fascinating and relieving to see his Papa and Wonwoo having conversations that lasted more than 5 minutes and without Seungcheol letting out judgmental remarks at his boyfriend. However Jun couldn’t bring himself to be completely honest about his feelings. He knew that he was being petty, but his outburst a week ago was a result of years of discontent and it left residual feelings that needed time to process. 

When leaving Uncle Hao’s, Jun declared that he’s going back with Wonwoo. His boyfriend looked like he had something to say about his decision, but said nothing. Jun did expect his Papa to argue and somehow drag him home. So it was a surprise to witness Papa sending him off with sad eyes and “Call me if you need anything.”

His Papa’s face kept filling Jun’s head as he walked into Wonwoo’s bedroom. After storing his jacket neatly in the closet, his body stopped moving for a while. The automatic mode was off and his limbs no longer knew what to do while his brain didn’t give them any signal and chose to immerse himself in the past. The heartbreak reflected in Papa’s eyes. Jun’s chest ached at the flashback image.

The pain made Jun feel a little wobbly and he willed himself to approach the bed. Thankfully he could safely place his bottom on the mattress before his legs gave up on him. Sitting there, Jun thought of how today was the first time he saw his Papa after leaving home, and although Papa tried to pretend that he’s okay, there’s no denying the sadness behind his eyes. Jun hated this. No matter how angry he was, he couldn’t bear seeing his Papa sad. Even more when Jun was the cause. 

Overwhelmed with thoughts, Jun looked around with slight desperation. The idea to call out to Wonwoo came to his mind, but before he could do that, his eyes caught the sight of a framed picture on the bedside table. It’s the photograph of his family that Jun looked at every night before he went to sleep. 

If anyone else saw the picture, they would see a father, mother and their 8-year-old son smiling happily on top of a hill with a beautiful blue sky behind them and think it must be a wonderful family trip. They wouldn’t know that the day before the trip Papa went home around midnight after working on a criminal case to help a long time colleague. The morning of vacation day, Jun heard his Mama suggesting to cancel the trip so Papa could rest, but Papa insisted on going because Jun was looking forward to it. So they headed to Boseong tea plantation area and made a stop at Iksan to see their former neighbor and Jun’s childhood friend just as planned. The only adjustment was having Papa’s junior to drive their car in exchange for free lodging and food. Papa slept through the whole 4-hour-plus ride, which Jun disliked at the time because he wanted to chat with his Papa as he enjoyed the passing scenery. 

Meeting his childhood friend in Iksan lifted Jun’s spirit, but he was starting to sulk again upon arriving at Boseong. Since child Jun had been having difficulty expressing his feelings and so he stayed quiet even as they reached their destination. He remembered Mama looking slightly frustrated with Jun’s attitude, but Papa didn’t show any signs of discouragement. Papa stayed by Jun’s side and smiled bright the whole time despite the fatigue from his work hadn’t completely disappeared. Eventually Jun forgot that he was sulking at the first place and showed an equally bright smile as captured in the photo.

Caught in the reminiscence, Jun didn’t even realize Wonwoo was entering the bedroom until he felt the mattress sink beside him. He looked up from the framed picture and twisted his neck to the left to see his boyfriend gazing at him with nothing but kindness and patience.

“You miss him,” Wonwoo said as-a-matter-of-factly. He wasn’t wrong. Jun was aware of the meaning of his aching heart. However knowing didn’t make it easier to admit it.

As Jun was struggling to form words, Wonwoo continued to speak. “Just tell him so. You know he will accept it.” 

That was the final push Jun needed to pack his stuff and headed back home. He didn’t give his Papa any text or call, so when he went through his house entrance and appeared in the living room, Papa blinked dumbfoundedly as if doubting Jun’s presence. 

“I’m home,” Jun said without meeting his Papa in the eyes. From the corners of his eyes, Jun could see Papa staying rooted in his spot.

“Welcome home,” said Papa in his best attempt of a natural tone. It seemed that he was trying to pretend Jun’s runaway never happened, probably out of consideration for Jun.

The Jun from the past would probably take advantage of Papa’s kindness and play along with the act. But after this incident, Jun realized that he couldn’t keep running away all the time.

That’s why Jun willed himself to look at Papa in the eyes and say, “I’m sorry…” 

Papa’s pretense faltered in an instant. But he seemed too shocked to say anything, so Jun continued his words.

“...for not contacting you at all.” 

It was the thing that he regretted the most. Submitting to his anger, Jun had neglected Papa. If it wasn’t for Wonwoo, Papa would’ve been suffering with worry.

Papa replied to Jun’s words with quivering eyes and a nod. “Just text or call me next time, okay?” 

It broke Jun’s heart to see Papa like that. He shook his head fervently before promising, “There won’t be a next time.” 

Tears ran down Papa’s cheeks as he nodded. “I was sad you’re mad at me, but more than that…” His words were cut off by a stifle. “--I was scared... What if something happened to you and--” 

It seemed that it was too difficult for Papa to continue his words and his quiet cry turned into a sob. With that heart wrenching scene in front of him, Jun didn’t even think as he closed the short distance between them and wrapped both arms around his Papa. Feeling Papa shaking in his hold, Jun thought of how cruel he had been to the person he loved. 

“I’m sorry…” Jun begged. “I’m sorry for doing that to you… With all you’ve been through after losing Mama… You don’t deserve this.”

Muffled by his own tears and Jun’s hold, Papa said, “No, I’m sorry…”

They ended up whispering apologies and hugging for the whole night.

****

When Jun sat down on the dining table the next morning, his Papa peeked into his face and laughed. 

“Look at them,” Papa said as he stood up and stretched his torso over the table, his right fingers reaching Jun’s face. “All puffy,” he continued as he gently stroked Jun’s left temple.

Jun pouted at his Papa’s teasing but didn’t brush the fingers away. It was honestly comforting and so Jun let himself revel in the touch.

Breakfast that morning was chicken porridge from Grandpa Kim, Choi family’s favorite food stall in the morning market. Papa had woken up earlier and bought it for them. Their bowls were almost clean when Papa asked, “Are you meeting Wonwoo today?”

Jun looked up from his bowl to check Papa’s expression but the latter was still digging into his bowl and didn’t seem to be upset. “No, we don’t have any plans today,” Jun answered. He saw Papa nodding at his reply and went back to finish the last scoop of his porridge. 

There’s actually a bit of lie in Jun’s words. He was supposed to watch a movie with Wonwoo today, but last night after going back home, Jun asked his boyfriend to cancel the plan. “ _Enjoy your Sunday with Papa,_ ” Wonwoo generously said via the phone last night. Jun was grateful that his boyfriend understood his need to be with his Papa after a whole week not seeing each other, the longest time he’s been away from Papa in his entire 26 years of life. It’s not something Jun would like to experience again.

So Jun staying home today was not only an apology, but also a way for him to indulge himself in Papa’s presence. He didn’t expect Papa would think he’ll go out and see Wonwoo. It seemed to make more sense if Papa had tried to stop Jun from seeing Wonwoo again. After all, Papa hadn't been thrilled when Jun introduced Wonwoo as his boyfriend. But then Jun remembered the way Papa and Wonwoo chatted at Uncle Minghao’s. 

The memory piqued Jun’s curiosity and prompted him to ask, “Are you okay with it?” 

Papa flinched in his seat but quickly regained composure as he replied the question with another. “With what?” he asked, pretending not to understand what Jun was referring to.

Jun hesitated only for a split second before pushing forward with his curiosity. “Me meeting Wonwoo.”

He smiled when he saw Papa feigning a casual shrug and saying, “He’s a good guy.”


	5. Chapter 5

Jun was enjoying his super spicy fish soup at Xu Chinese Food when Uncle Minghao suddenly said, “So, Junnie. Care to share?” He turned his head to his right and saw his uncle looking at him with amused glint in his eyes. 

“Hmm?” Jun automatically let out a confused noise. He had no idea what his uncle was talking about. Minutes ago Uncle Minghao was just conversing with Papa about Uncle Minghao’s upcoming new restaurant. Did Jun miss the change of topic?

Uncle Minghao chuckled and waited until Jun gulped down his soup. “You seem so happy today. Something good happened?” His eyes were sparkling with curiosity. Meanwhile in the corner of Jun’s eyes, there was Papa looking glancing back and forth between Jun and Uncle Minghao.

At first Jun wondered if he did he look that happy, but the second the question sank in, Jun could feel it. He was happy. It had been a fulfilling week at office, tomorrow’s the premiere of his favorite actress’ new movie, and best of all: Jun could talk about Wonwoo at home and no longer see Papa frowning at Wonwoo’s name. Papa had been very understanding about his relationship ever since Jun’s runaway incident. 

Since it’s actually not one particular thing that made Jun happy, Jun told his uncle the truth. “Nothing. It’s just, life’s been good and I’m grateful.” He gave his uncle a smile.

For some reason, his answer brought a smirk to his uncle’s face. The curiosity in his eyes was replaced with a playful gleam. Jun had a somewhat bad feeling about this. Sometimes his uncle would say or do something on a whim that stirred things up.

True to his hunch, Uncle Minghao’s next words were akin to a surprise bomb attack.

“Did Wonwoo propose to you?” Uncle Minghao asked. “Or did you pop the question?” There’s undisguised excitement in his voice. As much as Jun appreciated his uncle’s favorable expectation towards a possible future of him and Wonwoo, this was definitely not the time and place to talk about it. Not out of the blue and certainly not in front of his Papa. 

Anxious, Jun turned his head towards his Papa who was sitting across the table. As expected, Papa had his jaws dropping and eyes filled devastation. Despite Papa’s recent change of attitude towards Wonwoo, it was clear to Jun that Papa was still uncomfortable with the idea of his son dating. It’s almost ridiculous how overprotective Papa was, but Jun could sympathize. 

With a sigh, Jun replied to Uncle Minghao’s question. “We haven’t actually proposed or anything…” His voice got smaller with each word. Jun felt embarrassed as flashbacks from several weeks ago came into his head.

At that time Jun and Wonwoo were watching TV at Wonwoo’s apartment. They were feeling lazy so they ordered food for a lunch date in Wonwoo’s place and just cuddled in front of the TV. After a rerun of an old movie, the channel broadcasted a coverage about a South Korean family living on a remote island. While at first Jun only watched with fleeting interest, he became more engrossed as the program went on. That’s why he was a bit startled when Wonwoo suddenly asked him.

“ _Have you ever wanted siblings?”_ asked Wonwoo as the TV screen showed the family’s three children walking along the beach line.

Jun didn’t ponder long about the question. “ _There were times I wish I had them, but it’s fine._ ” It was true that sometimes Jun hoped for a sibling to play with, although now at 26 he didn’t think it’s a bad thing to be an only child. Maybe it’s because Papa had given him so much love that he rarely felt lonely, except the times when he missed Mama.

He could feel Wonwoo hum of acknowledgement through their tangled bodies. For several moments after that there were only sounds from Wonwoo’s TV. It was slightly later that Wonwoo spoke again.

“ _I love having brothers._ ”

“ _Your brothers are nice,”_ Jun replied, recalling the memories of meeting Wonwoo’s older brother and younger brother. After answering, Jun snuggled himself closer to his boyfriend so that his head rested deeper into the crook of Wonwoo’s neck. He could feel Wonwoo humming once again through the top of his head.

Content with the warmth of his boyfriend and the relaxing moment, Jun was slightly taken aback when Wonwoo suddenly asked, “ _If you have a child, do you want them to have siblings?_ ” 

That’s when Jun lifted his head away from Wonwoo’s neck and turned to look at his boyfriend. Wonwoo’s Adam’s apple bobbed once before he twisted his neck and met Jun’s gaze. There were no other signs of nervousness.

“ _Two siblings is okay, I guess,_ ” Jun answered. He hadn’t really thought about it to be honest. More than one child didn’t sound bad, but raising too many children felt somewhat scary. 

Rather than the question itself, Jun was more concerned about why Wonwoo asked it. When he saw Wonwoo gulping once again, Jun thought he knew what Wonwoo was about to say and his heartbeat started to pick up.

“ _Okay. I just… I wanted to know because I’m thinking… I know it might be too sudden but I’ve been thinking about a future with you and it’s one of the topics we have to talk about. That’s uhm… if you want it._ ”

Wonwoo’s speech was unusually hesitant, yet overall he didn’t seem that nervous. His bright brown eyes still gazed straight at Jun’s and there were no signs of tension from his figure. 

Jun was ecstatic to know that Wonwoo had pictured a future with him, but to be honest, he also felt rather frustrated. He had been dreaming of a romantic proposal and thought they would talk about their future _after_ that. It was somewhat disappointing that their first talk about marriage happened like this. With that regret, since then Jun had been thinking about when and how to propose to Wonwoo. He had even browsed for rings and tried to secretly find out Wonwoo’s finger size. 

So Jun wasn’t lying to his uncle. There was no proposal, right? That’s why he shook his head firmly when Uncle Minghao asked again with a dubious look. “Really?” Jun loved his uncle most of the time but this was not one of those times. And his uncle’s teasing smirk was not helping.

“No one’s proposing anyone,” said Jun. Under his uncle’s excited gaze, he could feel his own cheeks getting warmer. 

“Right,” Uncle Minghao said eventually. He finally let go of the topic with a “Not now. But soon.” The way he said it so confidently was a bit irritating, but Jun couldn’t be mad because it was true. 

Jun glanced at his Papa, hoping that his answer was reassuring enough. Sadly he couldn’t find any comfort on Papa’s face. But Jun let Uncle Minghao bring an entirely different conversation to the table. Albeit responding to it, Papa was rather curt with his replies. He was obviously distressed because of the previous topic. Jun decided this was not the time to address it and waited until they were home.

“Papa,” Jun called his Papa when they were sitting on the sofa and watching TV. “Can we talk for a sec?”

When Papa turned his head to face Jun, there’s some kind of resolution in his expression. Maybe he already knew what Jun was trying to say.

After taking one deep breath, Jun said, “What made you sure that you wanted to marry Mama?”

The way Papa’s eyes widened told Jun that he was not expecting that question. “The reason I married Shuli?”

Jun nodded. “You dated for a couple of years, right? What made you decide to take it to the next level?”

Papa answered as if it was the most reasonable thing in the world. “I’ve saved enough money so I proposed.”

Jun inadvertently frowned at his Papa’s answer. It was not what he was expecting so he tried changing his approach. “But I mean, why? Why Mama?”

The way Papa blinked his eyes at Jun’s question was as if it’s the first time he was asked about it. “I’ve already decided before we started going out,” he said. There was no slightest hint of hesitancy in his eyes as he gazed straight at Jun’s. “That’s why I asked her to be in a relationship with marriage in mind.”

Awed by the self-assurance and sincerity, Jun couldn’t respond at first. Papa seemed to take it as a sign to continue talking.

“To be honest, I don’t know how to explain….” Papa’s gaze softened as a small smile bloomed on his face. “I just knew she’s the one and I wanted to treasure her…. so I made a promise when we started. The proposal was just the first step to fulfill that promise.”

Papa’s answer tugged Jun’s heart and spreaded warmth all over him. It was a reminder that he was born and raised from such tremendous love. With that awareness, Jun strengthened his own resolve and asked, “What do you think if I feel the same for Wonwoo?” Unsure of how Papa would react, Jun waited nervously. 

Papa’s lips quivered as he attempted a smile and pulled Jun’s face into his palms. Rubbing the sides of Jun’s face with loving strokes, Papa gently told Jun, “It’s the greatest feeling one could ever have and I’m happy for you.”

***

“This Saturday?” Seungcheol asked with wide eyes from across the dining table. The spoon in his right hand froze in mid-air. Wonwoo felt terribly sorry for the older man. 

“I’m sorry, I already told them that it’s too sudden…” Wonwoo didn’t know how to continue after that. He really tried to tell his parents that they couldn’t just come from Gyeongsangnam’s Changwon to Seoul and visit his boyfriend’s house with a notice only 2 days before. Unfortunately Wonwoo had never been capable of stopping both his mother and father once they got excited over something. This time it was over the news of Wonwoo and Jun officially being engaged.

Wonwoo received the call from his parents only a few hours before dinner with Jun and Seungcheol at the Choi family house. He already texted Jun beforehand so his boyfriend wasn’t surprised, but for Seungcheol it was brand new information.

“Okay,” Seungcheol finally said after putting down his spoon. There was worry in his gaze but his voice was sure when he said to Wonwoo, “When will they arrive at the airport? I will pick them up. Or do they take the bus?”

Wonwoo felt more guilty at Seungcheol’s kind offer. “You don’t have to. I’ve told them that they’ll just have to bear with meeting me if you’re busy--”

Seungcheol waved his right hand to stop Wonwoo. “Nonsense. Of course I’ll meet them,” he said with finality in his tone. It made Wonwoo feel reassured and he told Seungcheol the arrival time of his parent’s flight. 

The plan was to gather at the Choi family house before departing together to the airport with Seungcheol’s car. On Saturday Wonwoo arrived at the apartment at 10 AM to see Seungcheol already dressed in suits. Wonwoo told him that his parents would probably come with rough clothing so Seungcheol didn’t have to go out his way and trouble himself with a suit on this hot and humid day, but couldn’t argue when Seungcheol rejected his suggestion with a single shake of his head. 

Wonwoo didn’t know what to expect about the meeting. He actually felt more worried about Seungcheol getting overheated rather than the possibility of his parents clashing with Seungcheol. It was Jun who seemed rather nervous. Wonwoo noticed from the back seat of the car that his fiance’s side profile looked somewhat tense. 

Fortunately for everyone, the meeting of two families went absolutely fine and almost uneventful, except for the time Wonwoo’s father almost tripped himself on their way out of the airport terminal. He was saved from falling face first thanks to Jun’s quick reflex. This rescue act made Wonwoo’s parents fall in love with Jun more than they already had after listening to Wonwoo’s stories via phone calls.

They headed to a hotel that Wonwoo had reserved for his parents and had lunch together at the restaurant inside. Wonwoo’s parents weren’t loud but boy, they could sure talk on and on as if they didn’t need to breathe in between. Especially because they liked Jun and seemed to have nothing but a good impression on Seungcheol too. While Jun and Seungcheol responded to his parents’ enthusiasm with amazing patience and sincere warmth, Wonwoo tried to give them breaks by distracting his parents from time to time. 

After talking about a wide variety of topics, from their own hometowns to the current economy, Wonwoo’s parents started to touch upon the topic of Wonwoo and Jun’s future.

“We should decide the date!” Wonwoo’s mother said excitedly, almost jumping on her chair.

While Wonwoo’s father nodded in agreement, Seungcheol’s smiling face turned into a confused look. “What date?” 

“For our sons’ wedding!” Wonwoo’s father added with equal excitement as his wife.

“Oh, yes.” Smile was back to Seungcheol’s face but this time it didn’t reach his eyes. “Of course… But uhm, they’ve only been engaged for a week so we don’t have to rush…”

To Wonwoo’s horror, his parents didn’t notice Seungcheol’s reluctance to discuss the specifics of their sons’ wedding plan and kept talking. They finally stopped when Wonwoo reminded them of their favorite comedy show that was about to air in a few minutes. 

Wonwoo wanted to apologize to Seungcheol about his parents but didn’t have the chance to do that immediately. The next day he accompanied his parents for sightseeing in the capital city for basically the whole day. It was on Monday night that he finally got the chance. He was sending his parents off at the airport and Seungcheol offered to drive them from the hotel. (Un)fortunately Jun had urgent work to do and couldn’t get out of office in time, so it was just Wonwoo and Seungcheol. 

After making Seungcheol promise to visit them in their hometown sometime soon, Wonwoo’s parents said goodbye with warm hugs and walked through the boarding gate. Wonwoo and Seungcheol stood on the spot until Wonwoo’s parents were no longer visible. 

“I’ll drive you home.” Seungcheol was the first one to speak. Wonwoo said his thank you and they turned around to head to the parking lot

While walking on Seungcheol’s left side, Wonwoo looked for a chance to say what he'd meant to tell Seungcheol since two days ago. He glanced at the older man a few times before saying, “I’m sorry for my parents. They can be a bit… overwhelming.”

He saw Seungcheol breaking out into a small laugh. “It’s amusing how their son turns out to be this poker face,” said Seungcheol with no harm in his tone. “They’re very warm people,” he continued. Even if Wonwoo couldn’t see Seungcheol, he would’ve known that Seungcheol was smiling from the way he talked. Wonwoo was happy that Seungcheol seemed to truly like his parents. 

Glancing at Seungcheol’s side profile, Wonwoo recalled moments from the past few months that he shared with Seungcheol. Wonwoo had known the grand scale of Seungcheol’s love for Jun thanks to Jun’s stories, and simply by being with Jun. But after getting to know the single father, Wonwoo could witness the affection firsthand and it planted a wish inside him to give back as if Seungcheol was his own parent.

 _Well, we are going to be father and son_ , thought Wonwoo with a sense of anticipation. 

The thoughts and expectations gave Wonwoo and idea, so he stopped Seungcheol before they went through the sliding door leading out of the terminal building. As he explained his suggestion, he saw a smile slowly blooming on Seungcheol’s lips and lighting up his whole face.

****

Jun was doubting his own ears. The words that just came out of his boyfriend’s mouth were simply outrageous. 

“The three of us?” Jun didn’t bother to hide his astonishment when he gave the question to Wonwoo.

Jun’s boyfriend looked slightly taken aback by Jun’s reaction, but kept showing composure as he answered, “Yes. He looked very happy with the idea.” Wonwoo ended his sentence with a reassuring smile. Jun couldn’t tell him that it failed to put him at ease.

Jun loved Wonwoo. He also loved his Papa. And yet he caught himself in a cold sweat at Wonwoo’s suggestion to live together with Papa after they get married. He unintentionally squirmed, his whole body telling him it’s not a good idea. 

Of course, Jun being Jun, he couldn’t speak his mind so straightforwardly. So instead of saying “no”, he asked Wonwoo, “Why did you suggest it?”

“I thought he would be lonely if you move out,” Wonwoo explained with sincere concern in his voice.

Jun was surprised, not at his boyfriend but at his own self. He had been dreaming for his Papa and boyfriend to get along, so he didn’t expect the complicated feelings that came over him. 

“And Papa agreed?” Jun winced at the wariness in his own voice.

Wonwoo nodded at Jun’s question then said, “You don’t like it.” It wasn’t a question. Wonwoo seemed to have picked up what Jun felt and tried to hide behind his words. On the other hand Wonwoo was more honest, showing disappointment with his gaze. 

“I…” Jun casted his gaze downward as he struggled to find words. His mind was refusing to cooperate with him. Pathetic.

“It’s going to be fine.” Wonwoo’s gentle words made Jun dare to look up. The small smile from Wonwoo managed to put seeds of optimism inside Jun.

“Yeah, we’re going to be fine.”

*****

To his dismay, Wonwoo was starting to regret the words he spoke almost a year ago. 

This realization dawned upon him as he entered the third month of his marriage with Jun. Like many newlyweds, Wonwoo was experiencing the highs of passionate love and euphoria. Unfortunately, he couldn’t bask in the magical honeymoon phase because of the suggestion he made before exchanging vows: for the couple to live with Jun’s father under the same roof as a new family of three. 

The thing about living with your father-in-law, it was difficult to be physically intimate with your husband. There was one Sunday when Seungcheol went out for dinner with his college friends. Wonwoo and Jun weren’t planning anything, they were just lounging at the sofa after having a simple dinner at home. The TV was on and showing coverage of a local theme park, Jun said it reminded him of the time they went for a date there. Wonwoo joined his husband in reminiscence. The mood changed into a more romantic one and naturally bloomed a desire to touch.

Wonwoo and Jun were making out on the couch when they heard the front door opening, signalling the arrival of Seungcheol. Their first reaction was to let go off each other and sprang up to put themselves an arm’s length away. Unfortunately, it didn’t work as Seungcheol seemed to notice what happened from their tousled hair and Wonwoo’s obviously red and swollen lips (Jun was quite enthusiastic in sucking when they kissed). The older man’s eyes wavered at the sight and he actually looked apologetic instead of glaring at Wonwoo for devouring his son’s lips. After greeting them, Seungcheol quickly entered his room and gave them space. Wonwoo appreciated the gesture, but he just couldn’t shake off the trauma of getting caught making out with Jun at the neighborhood park during the time when Seungcheol didn’t approve of their relationship. Now he found it hard to get intimate with Jun when Seungcheol was in the house.

When kissing was difficult, it was impossible to have sex. One time Wonwoo and Jun were sitting on their bed and cuddling while Seungcheol was in the living room watching TV. The atmosphere in the couple’s bedroom was sweet and soft at first, but eventually turned heated, probably because they hadn’t had sex since their honeymoon trip. They made it as far as third base when Jun moaned loudly. Both of them stopped moving a muscle as their hearts beat faster, drenched in adrenaline that rushed through their body from their touches and their fear of being heard. After a nerve-racking moment of silence, Wonwoo heard the sound volume of TV in the living room increased considerably. It seemed like Seungcheol’s way of telling the couple, “I won’t hear a thing. Go on.”

Unfortunately Seungcheol’s thoughtful act was also a clear sign that Seungcheol was aware of what they were doing. Instead of feeling relieved, Wonwoo became more self-conscious and he could feel Jun was too. To continue their lovemaking after that was out of the question.

Despite feeling very much deprived, Wonwoo was determined to make this living arrangement work. While the best thing of getting married was waking up to Jun’s lovely face every morning, the second best was to witness Jun and Seungcheol day-to-day interaction, the smiles on their faces and the laugh they shared. 

One Friday in his 4th month of marriage, Wonwoo got a reward for his tenacity. He was getting off from work with Jun when his husband suggested that they stop by a restaurant and have dinner there.

“But what about--?”

Before Wonwoo could finish his question, Jun explained with a smile. “I already told Papa.” His husband’s words made Wonwoo light up. It’s nice to have a dinner date once in a while. 

Jun’s face looked somewhat pink during dinner and it made him look a hundred times cuter (not that he wasn’t already super adorable anyway). Wonwoo thought it might be the alcohol, or just the fact that they’re having a long-overdue date. 

Wonwoo only found out the real reason when they were back at home. At the entrance, he noticed that Seungcheol’s work shoes were nowhere to be seen. “Papa’s not home yet?” he asked.

Jun didn’t immediately answer and kept his back on Wonwoo as he walked through the entrance and into the main living area. Wonwoo didn’t think anything of it, he simply assumed that Jun had his attention at something else or Wonwoo’s voice didn’t reach his ears. But then Jun stopped in the middle of the living room and turned around, gazing at Wonwoo with hazy eyes and red cheeks. 

“He’s not coming home tonight,” said Jun.

Wonwoo finally realized that there’s something different with Jun tonight. His mind dug into the memory of the dinner earlier and started connecting the dots. The conclusion that his brain concocted was making his heartbeat gradually accelerating. While struggling to calm his heart, Wonwoo asked, “He’s not?”

Jun’s face turned unbelievably red and at this point Wonwoo was sure that it wasn’t because of the drink they had during dinner. “I asked him to stay with Uncle Jeonghan…” Jun explained quietly.

Wonwoo assumed he knew the answer but asked anyway. “...why?” While waiting for the answer, his heart refused to listen to his head and kept rattling against his ribcage at an almost painful pace.

Jun’s answer made the couple close the distance between them and head to the bedroom with intertwined hands. It didn’t take long for them to get rid of each other’s clothes. Both were too desperate despite having all night to themselves. 

Seungcheol came home on Saturday around 11 AM. He sat down on the dining table and made conversation with Wonwoo and Jun as the couple prepared for lunch in the kitchen. There was no mention about the previous night except for Seungcheol telling his sons the amusing story of how Jeonghan lost his car keys and they spent a whole hour searching, only to find them on the bed of Jeonghan’s cat.

It was later in the afternoon when Seungcheol brought up the topic of intercourse. Jun wasn’t in the house because he was going out to the supermarket, refusing the offer from Seungcheol to accompany him because he’s also meeting with their twin neighbors, Auntie Mina and Auntie Somi. The two elderly women were very tren-conscious and shared many interests with Jun. That’s why the three of them sometimes meet up to chat and it wouldn’t be fun if Seungcheol tag along.

There were not many occasions where Wonwoo was alone with Seungcheol, but from his perspective, the vibe wasn’t necessarily awkward. Sure they didn’t chat as much as when Jun was around, but they could make some small talk while still giving each other space, so Wonwoo thought Seungcheol felt comfortable enough being around him. 

Today was no different. Wonwoo had a book in his hand when Seungcheol asked if he minded Seungcheol turning on the TV. He said it’s fine and continued reading while letting his consciousness fleet from time to time towards the show playing on the screen. Sometimes he responded when Seungcheol made comments about the program and the two of them shared brief chats. It felt easy.

When the TV started playing the ending credit, Wonwoo noticed Seungcheol squirming in his seat. Thinking that it might be nothing big, Wonwoo tried to move his attention back to his book. But then he heard Seungcheol say, “If you two need some space again, just tell me.” He looked up to see Seungcheol still staring at the TV, the lines of his face somewhat tense.

Seungcheol’s words changed Wonwoo’s earlier suspicion into conviction. His father-in-law definitely knew why Jun asked him to spend the night somewhere else. While that’s nothing surprising, Wonwoo was amazed at how this made him slightly flustered. Wonwoo believed that sex is not something embarrassing. He had experience of helping his friends with sex education programs, he assisted in gathering materials and creating the socialization content, even standing in front of 20-30 people to give a talk. So he didn’t expect himself to feel self-conscious like this. Maybe talking about sex in an educational context is different from talking about sex with your father-in-law. “Thank you” was the only thing Wonwoo managed to squeeze out.

In this rare moment of him getting flustered, Wonwoo hoped that this was the last time they would talk about this. Well, a little more than a year ago, Seungcheol was a person who didn’t even think his son would date and got angry at his son’s boyfriend for kissing his son. Surely such a person wouldn’t be comfortable talking about his son having sex, right?

Unfortunately, the topic didn’t end just like that. Still facing the TV, Seungcheol said, “Does it hurt? When--uhm… you know.” 

“Uhm, what?” Wonwoo couldn’t help but get thrown off balance. _Is this real?_ he thought.

Seungcheol finally removed his gaze from the TV screen and turned his head to look at Wonwoo with a face contorted by a mix of emotions. “The uh… penetration… “ It was obvious that Seungcheol would rather talk about anything else than this, but there’s no denying gleam of determination in his eyes. 

The look on Seungcheol’s face made Wonwoo feel less self-conscious. It finally dawned on him: this was not about him and Jun. Wherever this was going, it’s about Seungcheol. The awkwardness inside Wonwoo was replaced with a sense of curiosity, and so Wonwoo tried to fulfill it by continuing the conversation despite the risk of being too revealing. “If you’re asking the perspective of a person being penetrated… I can’t give a first-hand impression…”

It was as if Seungcheol’s body suddenly froze during the next few seconds, not a muscle was moving and his eyes didn’t even blink. When he finally moved, he was nodding his head, seeming to have understood what Wonwoo implied. Instead of inquiring further about his son and son-in-law’s position in bed, Seungcheol’s question came from a different angle. “Do you know how to make it less painful?”

“From the penetrator perspective?”

“Yeah. It’s what I want to know actually… Your, uh... perspective...” Seungcheol looked a bit desperate as he stumbled with his words. “I, uh… I don’t mean to pry but… I kinda need--” Seungcheol cleared his throat nervously. “--reference because I don’t-- I’ve never...”

Witnessing the way Seungcheol struggled, Wonwoo gently said, “Okay I can give you some pointers.” He paused for a moment as he gave it another thought. “Is it also the first time for the other person?” he added.

Seungcheol scrunched his forehead. “It shouldn’t be his first sex ever, but I’m not sure about gay sex…”

“You haven’t talked with him?”

“About having sex??” Seungcheol seemed to be thrown off balance by Wonwoo’s question but did his best to answer. “He, uhm, pretty much said that he wanted to be, u-uh, penetrated but, uhm... I don’t know if he has experience or not... We’ve been strictly professional until recently and I’ve never asked. I just... want to be prepared, you know? Just in case he’s as clueless as I am.”

The way Seungcheol expressed his next words touched Wonwoo’s heart.

“I don’t want to hurt him.”

Wonwoo didn’t doubt the earnestness in Seungcheol’s eyes and strongly felt the motivation to provide support. He tried to explain by remembering the sex education materials he created in the past. Seungcheol listened with full attention, at some points asking questions.

After saying his gratitude for the explanation, Seungcheol’s face turned red once again. “Can you not tell Jun about this?” Seungcheol looked straight at Wonwoo with a combination of worry and resolve in his eyes. “I will tell him when I’m ready.” The single father seemed relieved when he saw Wonwoo nodded. 

Seungcheol might not know as Wonwoo never told him, but his son-in-law was rejoicing in private over the fact that Seungcheol trusted him with something he didn’t even share with his beloved son.


	6. Chapter 6

Jun opened his eyes feeling awful. He knew that it’s just a bad dream, but his groggy mind was convinced that the scenes flashing in and out of his head were memories from real life experience. He involuntarily shivered and moved to grab something, anything, until his fingers reached something fleshy and soft. There was warmth radiating from that thing and it tempted Jun to snuggle closer. 

“Jun?” 

He heard a voice calling his name, his half-awake mind wasn’t sure at first. But then the voice called him a few times more and he could feel the warmth he’s clinging to was now moving. 

“Are you okay?” 

The gentle voice, which now Jun’s brain could recognize as Wonwoo’s, encouraged Jun to blink his eyes several times and push himself to be fully awake. Jun tilted his head upward and his sight became clear enough to register his husband’s face looking at him with a mix of adoration and concern.

“Mmmngghhh….” Jun mumbled as he buried his face into Wonwoo, his conscious mind basking in the warmth of Wonwoo’s chest and hold of his arms. The nightmarish scenes he saw were still haunting his mind, faint but surely there. 

Wonwoo didn’t push Jun to speak, simply letting Jun hold onto him and gently rubbing his thumb over Jun’s shoulder. It helped Jun to calm down and later Jun showed his appreciation by giving Wonwoo a peck to the crook of his neck. 

“I had a bad dream,” said Jun finally after pulling his face away from Wonwoo’s body. He saw Wonwoo gazing at him patiently and then continued, “Papa was gone.”

“Gone?”

“I can’t really remember how…” Jun scrunched his forehead as he tried to recall and failed. “But I couldn’t find him anywhere.”

Wonwoo removed the hand he had on Jun’s shoulder and placed it on Jun’s right cheek, caressing the softness as if telling him “It’s okay.” Jun savored the touch and hummed in content. Now the horror scenario he just experienced felt more like a fantasy and less real. The terrible feeling squeezed into his chest was now gone, and he ended his retelling with the words “And somehow Uncle Soonyoung became evil.” He didn’t even remember what he meant by that and didn’t question why Papa’s co-worker came up in his dream. It no longer mattered. 

Jun had completely forgotten about the bad dream by breakfast, and it didn’t come up into his mind for the rest of the week. It was an especially busy period for Jun because SVT magazine he’s working for was having its 5th anniversary soon, so the whole team was occupied with extra work to make the celebration special. 

Even though it’s a bit tiring, Jun was enjoying it. He didn’t think it was bad until one morning in the week after. His family was having breakfast when Papa asked, “Where are you two going next Wednesday?”

Jun was slightly taken aback with the sudden inquiry, he ended up phrasing his answer like a question. “Nowhere?” 

Papa raised his eyebrows and his eyes were filled with sincere shock. “Nowhere?” Papa repeated Jun’s words with surprise in his tone. It made Jun even more confused. 

“Yes…?”

“Don’t you want to celebrate?” Papa asked him again. This time his eyes were overwhelmed with concern and for some reason he glanced worriedly at Wonwoo, who was sitting on Jun’s right.

“Celebrate?”

At Jun’s confusion, Wonwoo calmly answered, “He means our first anniversary.”

The words made Jun snap his neck towards his husband. Wonwoo noticed and turned his face to meet their gaze. There was no judgement in his eyes but Jun still felt guilty.

“Oh my God, I’m sorry, I can’t believe I forget…” Jun could hear his own pitiful voice. It crushed him to forget such an important day and he’s scared that he hurt Wonwoo.

But Wonwoo gave him a gentle smile and told him it’s fine. His husband only scrunched his forehead when he said, “It’s rare for you to forget this kind of thing. Are you okay?” Instead of feeling upset about Jun forgetting their first ever wedding anniversary, Wonwoo seemed to be more concerned with Jun possibly overworking.

“I thought you two fought or something,” Papa said from across the table. He seemed relieved that they weren’t in a conflict, but the creases in his forehead didn’t go away. “Can’t you take a day off?”

Jun turned to his Papa and explained, “It’s such an important time so I’ll feel bad. It’s not like I do overtime every day and I still get rests on the weekends, so it’s fine.”

Papa didn’t seem convinced and grumbled about it, but eventually returned the topic back to Jun and Wonwoo’s anniversary. “Why don’t you celebrate this Saturday and Sunday? Celebrating earlier is not bad.”

When Jun said, “We have Uncle Minghao’s new shop opening on Saturday,” Papa’s eyes twinkled in recognition.

“Right, we can’t miss it.” Papa nodded his head a few times. “Sunday then, you can spend the whole day somewhere nice. Gyeongju maybe?”

“That’s too far and Wonwoo gets easily tired on the road. We can’t go faraway if it’s only one day.”

“Inside the city then. Go to a hotel or something.”

While feeling shame that he wasn’t prepared for his own wedding anniversary, Jun was grateful for his Papa for actively giving suggestions. Jun turned his face to his right, asking Wonwoo’s opinion with his gaze. 

Before Wonwoo could say anything, Papa spoke up again. “Or you can celebrate at home. Didn’t you say you want that “romantic home date” thing on TV?” Jun was touched that his Papa remembered the things Jun said randomly when they’re watching TV together and saw a coverage about home dates.

“It would be nice to decorate the rooms and cook together... “ Jun said as he glanced at Wonwoo, who responded to his gaze with a smile and sparkle on his eyes. His husband seemed to like the idea.

“I can stay somewhere so you two have the whole house for yourselves,” Papa offered sincerely, making Jun want to go across the table and give his Papa a big hug. But on the other hand Jun felt a nagging concern at Papa’s kind offer.

“But Uncle Jeonghan will be out of town this weekend. Where will you go?”

Papa’s eyes wrinkled as he chuckled. “I have other friends, Junnie.” 

Jun ended up accepting Papa’s offer and planning a celebration at home with Wonwoo, relieved to have found a way to recover from his failure to prepare for the anniversary in advance. But later there’s an unknown feeling of restlessness creeping into his heart. Jun couldn’t explain it. He was supposed to be excited to celebrate his first year with Wonwoo and touched by his Papa’s consideration… Eventually Jun decided to focus on his anniversary and didn’t pay attention to the ominous hunch, hoping that he would find out the reason soon or it would simply disappear. 

***

Two weeks after Jun and Wonwoo’s first wedding anniversary, Papa asked him and Wonwoo if they were available on Friday evening. 

“There’s this client I had,” said Papa. “She’s so happy with our work that she offered to give me free catering--she owned the business. We tried to politely refuse, she already paid us anyway. But she insisted, so we had her deliver lunch to the office. It was delicious! Everyone loved it. We were really grateful.”

It made Jun smile to see Papa’s enthusiastic retelling. But then Papa creased his forehead. “She still insists that it wasn’t enough to show her gratitude.” Papa seemed to think it’s too much appreciation for simply doing his job. But he let out a chuckle when shaking his head and saying, “And since I was in charge of her case, she wanted to give me another free catering.”

“For Friday night?” Wonwoo asked.

Papa nodded. “The food is really good so I thought it’ll be nice for us to have a special dinner.” Maybe Papa decided it’s impossible to refuse and thought of having the catering delivered on Friday. Jun and Wonwoo had no plans for that night so they agreed to Papa’s suggestion. 

“It’s going to be too many for us. I’ll invite my friends,” Papa said again. Jun said it’s fine and didn’t question any further, even though he caught Papa’s strange glance at Wonwoo and wanted to ask about it. It was just for a split second, but Papa looked somewhat nervous. And what’s with Wonwoo’s reassuring nod? The sequence of events left many questions in Jun’s head.

To Jun’s delight, Papa and Wonwoo had been getting along well in Wonwoo’s first year as their new family member. Their body language didn’t show awkwardness when they’re in the same room, and sometimes he saw Papa and Wonwoo chatting by themselves without Jun’s presence to initiate conversation. Papa was also having a good relationship with Wonwoo’s parents in Changwon even though they’ve only met twice (the second was during the wedding). When Wonwoo’s parents sent them boxes of Changwon specialties. Papa would call them to say thank you and chat. To have his family and his husband’s getting along was definitely what Jun had been hoping for. 

But recently Jun started catching Papa and Wonwoo talking in hushed voices, stopping when Jun came into the room. Jun always pretended to not notice, yet secretly whined about it. He’s feeling a bit left out, even starting to think he didn’t want Papa and Wonwoo getting _too close_. 

However, such concern was thrown out of Jun’s mind once Friday night came. Preparing the table for dinner, Jun was surprised to see Kwon Soonyoung entering their dining room. Uncle Soonyoung was the administration staff in Yoon & Choi Law Firm. He joined the office when he was 35, back when it was Yoon Law Firm and was owned by Uncle Jeonghan’s mother. Now Uncle Soonyoung was 56, so he’d been working with Papa for 21 years. But even with that long history, Jun had never heard about Papa hanging out with just Uncle Soonyoung. It’s always been in a group with other colleagues. Uncle Jeonghan was supposed to be the only co-worker Papa was close with and that’s because they had been college friends to begin with.

“Thank you for having me!” said Uncle Soonyoung, beaming as he greeted Jun and Wonwoo. He was as radiant as Jun remembered, making him somehow look many years younger than Papa even though he’s only one year younger and had enough gray hair to show his real age. 

While Uncle Soonyoung himself seemed no different from Jun’s memory, there was an unusual vibe surrounding _Uncle Soonyoung and Papa_. Jun could sense it right from the entrance. Maybe it’s the way Papa lightly put his hand on Uncle Soonyoung’s back for a few seconds before he led the latter inside. Or it might be the way their eyes sparkled when their gaze met. 

At first Jun tried to dismiss his hunch. But as the dinner progressed, he became convinced that he wasn’t imagining things. There was one point where Papa and Uncle Soonyoung were trying to reach for a plate of prawn on Jun and Wonwoo’s side of the table. They were extending their arms at the same time, then laughed as they noticed. 

“Here,” Papa said as he took the plate first and brought it near Uncle Soonyoung.

Uncle Soonyoung blinked once before breaking into a wide smile. “I was actually trying to get it for you.”

Jun almost doubted his own eyes when he saw Papa’s reaction. The 57-year-old’s face turned pink as he let out a hearty laugh. As for Uncle Soonyoung, although showing no sign of getting flustered, Jun didn’t miss the adoration glinting in his eyes. 

It was tough for Jun to enjoy the meal in this situation. He’s too concerned with Papa and Uncle Soonyoung that he couldn’t find the will to chew his food. Even the conversations exchanged during the dinner felt like a bother. While Soonyoung obviously tried to engage Jun and Wonwoo as they talked, he always ended up immersed in a chat with Papa as if they were the only people in this room. The sight ignited a flame inside Jun that he recognized as jealousy. It was burning intensely in Jun’s chest that he thought of interrupting their conversation many times, but never could bring himself to do it. Not when Papa was radiating happiness from his whole being.

Attempting to distract himself, Jun averted his attention towards Wonwoo. That’s when he saw his husband exchanging glances with Papa, who looked somewhat anxious. Papa’s face loosened up slightly as Wonwoo blinked once and sent a reassuring gaze. While dying to find out what just happened, Jun pretended he saw nothing and turned back to his plate. 

A short moment later, Wonwoo started a topic and smoothly got Jun and Soonyoung involved. Reminding himself to be a good host, Jun willed himself to engage in the conversation with Soonyoung. From the corner of his eyes Jun caught Wonwoo and Papa exchanging glances once again. This situation got to Jun’s nerves and it took a lot for him to stay civil in the presence of a guest. 

As soon as Uncle Soonyoung was out of their home, Jun entered his bedroom without saying a word. He could feel Wonwoo following behind him and thought he’s going to ignore his husband for now. But then he remembered Wonwoo’s behavior during dinner, also the secret conversations before that. The recollection got Jun’s blood boiling and turned his body around with force. He saw Wonwoo getting surprised by his sudden movement and stopping on his tracks, ended up standing awkwardly at the edge of the bed. 

“You knew,” Jun hissed to his husband. Judging by the way Wonwoo’s eyes wavered with guilt, he knew what Jun was referring to.

“He will tell you when the time is right,” Wonwoo gave him an apologetic smile. It wasn’t enough to calm Jun down.

“So flirting in front of me was the way to tell me??” Jun exclaimed in exasperation.

“It was supposed to be a get-to-know dinner,” Wonwoo said, looking unsure with himself as he said each word.

“Well it wasn’t. It's a flirting-in-front-of-your-son kind of dinner.” Jun knew he sounded like a sulking adolescent, but he couldn’t help it.

Wonwoo’s voice was gentle when he asked, “Do you hate it so much?” 

His husband’s words made Jun realize how much he had been venting out the past minute. Usually Jun would silently brood and keep his mouth shut until everyone gives him space to process his emotions. But tonight he was so upset that he exploded the minute the dinner was over. Did it mean he hates Papa having a relationship with Uncle Soonyoung? Even though Uncle Soonyoung made Papa smile so wide the whole night? 

Thankfully Wonwoo didn’t push Jun for an answer that night. As expected from Jun’s soulmate, Wonwoo knew when to leave him to figure out things on his own. Jun was grateful for this, but he’s still angry for Wonwoo not giving the slightest hint about Uncle Soonyoung, so he put a one-arm distance between him and his husband as they went to sleep. He’ll let himself sulk tonight and give Wonwoo an apology kiss tomorrow.

****

Jun’s heart literally stopped beating at the words “Your Papa is in the hospital.” It’s a miracle that he didn’t drop the phone in his right hand. Somehow he mustered the last ounce of strength left in him to grip the device and listened to the next words being delivered through the call.

Entering his right ear was the voice of Uncle Soonyoung. The older man sounded calm, no difference from a few seconds ago when he started the call with Papa’s phone and told Jun about Papa’s whereabouts. “He’s fine. But he dislocated his hips so the doctor is operating him right now.” 

Jun wanted to rage. How is a dislocated hip “just fine”? But he decided to hold back his anger and focus on Uncle Soonyoung’s voice telling him the hospital address. He said that the surgery might be over by the time Jun arrives so he’ll text the room number later. After saying “We’re heading there”, Jun quickly cut off the call without another word. He belatedly realized that it was a rude way to end a call with a person senior to him, but with the agonizing worry for Seungcheol’s wellbeing and the hostility towards Uncle Soonyoung deeply-ingrained in him since the dinner one month ago, Jun couldn’t care less. With hurried movements he collected his wallet and headed to the living room where his husband was reading a book. Wonwoo didn’t waste any time to show shock or question why Papa was in the hospital, he effectively put away his book and only asked Jun about the information source and hospital location. 

When they arrived at Papa’s hospital room, Papa was lying down on his bed but fully awake. He didn’t remember leaving Wonwoo’s side. There was only Papa in Jun’s mind as he approached the bed in hasty steps.

Bending his torso to get close to Papa’s face, Jun let out a hushed cry. “Papa!” He glanced down at the injured hips then quickly moved his gaze back to Papa’s face, trying to see any pain that might remain on his beloved’s face. There were none. Instead there was only slight fatigue and, for some reason, embarrassment. 

When Jun spoke again, he asked, “How are you feeling?”

Papa lifted his left hand to caress Jun’s right cheek, his stroke gentle and warm. “I’m fine. Sorry for surprising you.”

Jun bit his lips and leaned into his Papa’s touch. To say that he was terrified was an understatement. To be honest he thought of the worst when he heard Papa got into the hospital. Immediately crossing his mind was a flashback of the time Papa told him Mama was gone from this world. It’s not something he wanted to experience for the second time. But Papa was fine. He’s here, with injured hips, but alive and safe. 

After talking for a bit about the operation and future treatment, Jun asked one question that had been bugging him. “How did it happen?” It was a puzzle for him. Before lunch Papa left the house saying he’s going out to town with Uncle Soonyoung so Jun assumed they were spending the past 5 hours enjoying a meal and strolling. How could it lead to Papa breaking his hips?

Jun widened his eyes as red crept from Papa’s neck and up to all over his face. “I, uh, kinda tripped,” Papa mumbled his words. Of course, Jun didn’t buy it.

Jun spent another minute trying to pry out the truth from Papa. That’s when a male nurse came and told them there’s some administration procedure to be completed. Jun promptly responded by telling Papa and Wonwoo that he’ll take care of it. He was following the nurse and was already at the end of the corridor when Wonwoo caught up, saying that Papa gave Wonwoo his wallet in case they needed Papa’s identity card or something.

It took them no longer than 15 minutes to finish the administration, plus an extra 5 minutes to go back to Papa’s room. The door was opened when they arrived so they could see Uncle Soonyoung sitting on a chair that was placed right next to the bed. The two older men were in the middle of a conversation when Jun and Wonwoo approached.

“...don’t force yourself to lift me up. Missionary style is fine. We have to be aware of our age,” said Uncle Soonyoung with a mix of glee and reprimand in his voice. 

Papa was visibly pouting as he protested, “I’m still young.” That made Uncle Soonyoung laugh. The hearty laugh filled the room and replaced Papa’s pout with a small smile.

“I’ll still want to be with you even if we do slow, boring sex.” The way Uncle Soonyoung gazed at Papa as he spoke the words made Jun blushed even harder than from the content of his words.

It looked like Papa was about to say something at Uncle Soonyoung’s confession but Jun couldn’t take it anymore and decided to intervene. He deliberately made some noise when approaching the bed, making both Papa and Uncle Soonyoung turn their faces. While Papa looked flushed, Uncle Soonyoung seemed unabashed to find Jun entering in the midst of this particular conversation.

Wonwoo caught up with Jun and Jun could feel his husband’s gaze from his left. Yet Jun chose to ignore whatever Wonwoo’s trying to tell him and kept his gaze on Papa and Uncle Soonyoung instead. 

“You got injured because of sex?” Usually Jun avoided confrontation, but this time he’s too upset to bottle it up and starts interrogating his Papa. He didn’t even bother to hide the dismay in his voice.

Papa was too embarrassed to even meet his son’s eyes. It was Uncle Soonyoung who managed eye contact and responded, “Please forgive your father for having sex in the afternoon.”

Jun squinted his eyes at the older man before snapping, “That’s not the point.” Uncle Soonyoung didn’t seem to be offended by Jun’s behavior and offered an apologetic smile. 

The topic ended there as a female nurse entered the room to give Papa his dinner. Jun refused Uncle Soonyoung’s suggestion to get himself and Wonwoo some dinner while Uncle Soonyoung accompanied Papa. He even insisted on feeding Papa his meal. Papa tried refusing once but ended up letting Jun stay in his room and saying goodbye to Uncle Soonyoung. To be honest Jun was being sly as he knew Papa wouldn’t turn him down. 

The hip injury put Papa in the hospital for the next three weeks as it was safer for him to recover in the facility instead at home where nobody would be around during the day. Jun made sure that his Papa got everything he needed in the hospital and always visited without missing a single day. On several days he encountered Uncle Soonyoung at the end of his visits and even though Jun showed minimum standards of courtesy whenever they passed each other, he secretly resented the 56-year-old male for visiting earlier than him. Jun also suspected that Uncle Soonyoung paid a visit every day like him even on the days he didn’t catch Uncle Soonyoung’s figure in the hospital. There’s always a mint candy lying on the bedside table, with a slightly larger sticky note attached to it. Jun didn’t have it in him to read the words written on the note, but sometimes he watched Papa looking at them with a loving gaze and carefully putting them inside a small box that he probably got from the nurses.

One day Jun came for a visit later than Uncle Soonyoung. When he arrived at Papa’s room, Uncle Soonyoung was sitting next to the bed, the chair positioned slightly away from the head of the bed so Papa could look straight at Uncle Soonyoung without having to twist his neck. They’re not exactly whispering and Jun could hear their voices from the door, but Jun was prevented from listening to the content of their conversation. His mind was too focused on the sight of Papa gazing straight at Uncle Soonyoung’s eyes with adoration overflowing from his orbs. Uncle Soonyoung was holding Papa’s hands inside his and caressing them as he spoke, seeming unfazed with the intensity of Papa’s gaze and kept talking vibrantly. 

The scene triggered a mixture of emotions inside Jun and stuck within his consciousness even many days later. The strongest feelings dominating his heart were sincere gratitude from seeing his Papa so happy, and fear from how similar Papa’s gaze towards Uncle Soonyoung compared to Papa’s gaze towards Mama that Jun treasured in his memory. 

When Papa finally came home from the hospital, he could move around by himself even though he still needed some rehabilitation. At times Jun got too worried and always tried to rush home from work every day. Especially one Friday when Wonwoo took a paid leave to visit his hometown for a family event. That day Jun rushed his work so that he could tap off exactly at 6 PM and dashed back home.

Wonwoo would be back by Sunday night so it was just Jun and Papa for the whole weekend. It’s been a while since they were alone and Jun suddenly realized that he missed it. Now that he thought of it, he had spent most of his life with just him and Papa. 

Maybe that’s why Jun felt this sense of possessiveness when he walked past Papa’s room on Saturday afternoon and overheard the conversation Papa had with Uncle Soonyoung over the phone. Jun didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the door was open and he couldn’t dismiss the way his Papa whined.

“I want to see you,” Papa wailed to the phone screen. He had the device in his palms while his arms rested on the study desk by the wall of his bedroom.

Jun heard Uncle Soonyoung’s voice through the loudspeaker, saying, “Aren’t you seeing me right now?” There’s a teasing nature in his voice that made Papa grumble his protest. Uncle Soonyoung seemed to find it amusing and his hearty laughter travelled from the phone into the room.

There’s a brief pause following that, in which Jun’s brain was telling him to move along and stop listening to Papa’s private conversation. But before his legs could move, he heard Uncle Soonyoung’s voice asking, “Should I visit?”

Jun couldn’t see Papa’s expression from the spot he’s standing at, but he could hear Papa’s voice colored with worry and sadness when he answered with “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Uncle Soonyoung replied with a gentle “Yeah, you’re right” and changed the topic to Seungkwan, one of their colleagues at the law firm. His tone was filled with enthusiasm that wasn’t exactly fake, but to Jun it sounded more like an attempt to cheer Papa up.

That’s when Jun finally moved his legs to step away from the room and headed to his own bedroom, chest heavy with guilt. For hours until dinner time, Jun stayed alone and pondered. Papa and Uncle Soonyoung were holding themselves back from meeting each other and it’s obviously because of Jun. That didn’t feel right. The thought was followed with the realization of how similar this condition was to the time Jun first introduced Wonwoo as his boyfriend to Papa. 

Jun’s head was still full with the thoughts as he got out of his room to have dinner with Papa. He tried to not let it show as he conversed with Papa over the meal, but he had a feeling that he was doing a bad job in it. 

After dinner they moved to the living room sofa to lounge about for a while until Papa turned to him with a gentle but serious look.

“Can we talk?” Papa asked as he peeked into Jun’s face with a careful gaze. Somehow Jun felt he knew what Papa was going to talk about, and while he thought of avoiding the topic, he nodded to his Papa.

“It’s about Soonyoung,” Papa paused and looked at Jun with nervousness in his eyes, as if waiting for Jun to take back his agreement and storm out of the room. His features relaxed as Jun said a simple “Okay.”

“Did you know that he’s had feelings for me for at least 10 years?” Jun failed to hide his surprise at Papa’s revelation and Papa gave him a small smile.

“I didn’t know it either,” Papa continued. “Apparently everyone else knew though,” he pursed his lips to show annoyance towards his colleagues at Yoon & Choi Law Firm, but there’s no real hate in his eyes. 

“Said he found me attractive at first sight--” Papa cleared his throat as his cheeks blushed slightly, “--but didn’t linger over the feeling because at the time there’s Shuli.” Papa didn’t sound defensive or overly eager to convince, and that’s exactly why Jun couldn’t bring himself to accuse Uncle Soonyoung for lying and crushing on a married man. 

“His feelings reappeared years after Shuli was gone. Around when you’re in high school or first year of college.”

Papa’s explanation prompted a question inside Jun’s head and so he asked his Papa, “And he did nothing? Even then?”

The blush returned to Papa’s cheeks, along with a look of guilt in his eyes. “Jeonghan said I was practically shutting down any chances. Even when you’re almost an adult I kept driving you around and adjusted everything to your schedules… I don’t remember it but he said I made a ‘declaration’ to continue taking care of you all my life,” Papa ended with an awkward laugh and looked at Jun with those ridiculously adorable puppy eyes. 

Jun sighed as he responded to his Papa with a small smile. “Papa…” As much as he got weary of Papa’s overwhelming display of affection sometimes, Jun couldn’t bring himself to hate Papa for it. 

“After you got married, I guess I started to see things, you know. The way Soonyoung looks at me when he brings me coffee… just once in a while though!” Papa hurriedly added as he looked straight at Jun with a bit of panic in his eyes. “He knows I put a limit on caffeine because of my GERD and I promised you--he remembers things like that, so it’s really just when I’m extremely sleepy…”

Silence fell after that and Papa squirmed on his seat. His features were tense, showing that he’s nervous. Was he thinking that Jun would tell him to break up with Uncle Soonyoung? Even after seeing how much Uncle Soonyoung made Papa smile? Jun felt somewhat hurt but he quickly remembered his attitude ever since Uncle Soonyoung came here for dinner and told himself that he was indeed at fault.

Jun scooted closer to Papa and took Papa’s left hand, playing with the fingers. He kept his gaze at Papa’s fingers as he said, “I see the way you look at him… It kinda reminds me…”

He couldn’t continue his words, stopped by a mixture of frustration and sorry. Jun knew he should just say it, talk it out. He understood that bottling his feelings up would not only harm himself but his loved ones too, just like the time he ran away from home. Yet it’s not a simple thing to change years of habit, especially after realizing he's just as possessive towards Papa as Papa was like that towards him in the past. It’s just too easy for Jun to follow his first instinct to gulp down his emotions, shut his mouth, and hope they will just vapor instead of exploding. 

Jun was slightly surprised when Papa pulled his left hand out of Jun’s hold. For a split second his heart sank with fear, but Papa’s hands quickly returned to envelop both of Jun’s hands inside his warmth. After blinking once at their joined hands, Jun looked up to see his Papa gazing at him with nothing but sincerity in his eyes.

“He’s not a replacement for your Mama.” Papa said, quietly but clearly. “And you’re still my number one.” 

At his Papa’s earnest words, Jun could only manage to nod several times. For some reason he felt that he'd cry if he opened his mouth, so he bit his lips and kept nodding instead. 

Papa didn’t force him to speak. He gently pulled Jun into his chest and comforted Jun with reassuring strokes on his back. Inside Papa’s embrace, Jun made a silent promise to make an effort so that in the future he could congratulate Papa’s new love from the bottom of his heart.

****

Jun felt two fingers squeezing both his upper and bottom lips, and turned his face to the right to see his husband. Wonwoo kept sandwiching Jun’s lips between his forefinger and middle finger, only letting go with a chuckle after Jun glared at him. He seemed to be in a good mood, teasing Jun like this even though it’s usually rare for Wonwoo to do so. It made Jun even more irritated than he already was.

Jun had been on edge since waking up this morning. He couldn’t even bring himself to savor the tasty chicken porridge from Grandpa Kim at breakfast. Jun knew the reason behind his turbulent emotion and he was mad at himself for letting himself be affected.

“I know, I know…” Jun said with a sullen voice, more to himself rather than saying it to his husband. 

This was the day that Papa was going to move out from this apartment and move in with Uncle Soonyoung. They had been packing Papa’s stuff little by little since last Sunday and 6 days later came the D-day. After breakfast they loaded the boxes and suitcases into Papa’s car, and around 11 they would ride with Papa to Uncle Soonyoung’s place and help with the moving. 

Now it’s 10.45 and Papa was outside saying goodbye to neighbors, while Jun stayed inside and moping over the situation. It had been almost 2 years since their family of three started living together and about a year since Papa introduced Uncle Soonyoung as his boyfriend. Jun was starting to accept the fact that Papa got another important person in his life aside from his family, no longer being snappish when Uncle Soonyoung was around. But it was still a shock for Jun when Papa told his idea to live together with Uncle Soonyoung.

“ _You two can fully enjoy your married life without taking care of this old man_ ,” said Papa with a humorous tone that Jun couldn’t share. 

“ _But I don’t think of you as a burden_ ,” Jun replied with protest in his voice. 

His answer made Papa smile gently at him and said, “ _I know_.” 

The decision wasn’t made in a single day. They talked about it several times and Jun finally agreed after making Papa promise they would meet at least once a week to have a meal together. It’s not like Uncle Soonyoung’s place was that far away from their home, but Jun knew that sometimes a little distance and life in general as an adult could change relationships. He feared growing apart from his Papa not just physically but also emotionally. It sounded ridiculous when he spoke it out loud as he told Wonwoo, but his husband didn’t make fun of him and so Jun thought he should also try accepting his own feelings. 

Jun heard the front door opening and closing, and soon enough Papa appeared in the living room, looking satisfied after going around the apartment building since morning and bidding their neighbors goodbye. “I’m done. Are you guys ready?” Papa said, beaming. Jun couldn’t help but mirror the smile as he nodded.

Wonwoo rode on the back with some boxes that didn’t fit in the trunk, while Jun sat in the front passenger seat. On Jun’s side, Papa was driving with happiness radiating from his eyes. Jun spent the whole ride with his face tilted to the side to gaze at his Papa. Inside his heart Jun made a promise: after sending Papa off at Uncle Soonyoung’s, he will look forward with the same bright gaze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When editing this fic I thought that both Seungcheol and Jun had quite some childish moments (lol). Anyway I hope you enjoyed this story and celebrating Seungcheol with Coup de Coeur!


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